The Lone and Level Sands.
by Logan4
Summary: 50 years have passed since the end of DBGT. The Saiya-jin Bloodline has been all but eliminated from the universe and, in the far reaches of the afterlife, Bardock sets out on a quest to find Kakarotto- the son he never knew...
1. Prologue: Remembrance

Prologue: Remembrance 

Prologue: Remembrance 

Crying, Loud and incessant. At the time he wasn't even sure if he was actually hearing it or not. It seemed almost subliminal, interlaced with the psychedelic images of destruction that danced in front of his eyes- the death of his home planet, the future of his son, the fate of his enemy. 

The sound of the crying grows louder. The wails of his infant son, nothing can stop them from reaching his ears. They become his entire existence, they overwhelm him, they possess him. They… 

He jerked back to reality, in a vain attempt to escape the memories of his cursed past- the memories of his previous life. He found that they were beginning to resurface much more frequently these days, and, much to his surprise, they brought him nothing but shame. 

Nonetheless, a crooked smirk cut across his scarred face. It never ceased to amuse him that a seasoned warrior such as himself could be so bothered by these dreams. No, not dreams, he corrected himself. They couldn't be dreams, since there was no need to sleep in the afterlife. More like…flashes, very similar to the ones he suffered in the final days of his life. The only difference being, when he was alive he caught glimpses of the future, whereas now these flashes seemed intent on making him relive his past. A sudden wave of anger surged through him, washing away any levity that he had previously felt. 

"Damn that Kanassa-jin", he swore. "Not only did he curse me in life, but now he's found a way to reach me in death as well". 

Even after he arrived in the afterlife, it had taken him a long time to overcome his bitterness at Tooro for imbuing him with his precognitive visions. Sometimes, he was almost thankful in a way, since the information that the visions provided him with enabled him to die a warrior's death, at peace with himself, but the fact that he would be endowed with the flashes for the rest of eternity had angered him beyond belief when the realisation had finally hit him. It was a strange gift, to be sure- both a blessing and a curse. 

During the years following his death, he had found that the visions soon began to cease altogether. He could only assume that, since time did not exist in the afterlife, then there was no need for him to be able to view the future anymore. With the burden of prophecy gone, he began to devote himself wholeheartedly to his training and meditation. When time no longer becomes an issue, he realised, you need to take drastic measures to prevent yourself from going out of your mind. 

In recent weeks, however, they had begun to resurface, usually during the intense bouts of meditation which he had made part of his mental and spiritual training. This particular vision was no different- far from being random; it chose to focus on one particular area- his son. "Why was that?", he pondered. "Are they trying to tell me something? Something about…Kakarotto?" He was given no more time to think, however, as a familiar greeting met his ears. 

"Bardock-san!". 

The voice echoed across the vast expanse of open ground which had become his training area of the last few days. This particular part of the afterlife was modelled after a planet called FX-50, the code name for Earth- a blue planet in the Northern Galaxy where Kakarotto had been dispatched to as a mere baby. It was a forested area known as Haltheon, with the field Bardock was currently occupying being the only flat ground around for hundreds, if not thousands of miles. He picked himself up out of his cross-legged position, brushed himself off, and turned to face the source of the greeting, which was flying towards him even as he did so. 

A towering, muscular Kanassa-jin landed nearby, his arms folded. He gave Bardock the once-over… 

"Hmmph, you look like shit, as always. What sadistic manoeuvres have you been putting yourself through in the name of training this time?" 

Bardock grinned heartily. A typical greeting from Fionn: a warrior who had become his erstwhile training partner over the long years. Fionn was a Kanassa-jin, just like Tooro, but Bardock refused to let that colour his judgement of the man who had helped him out during his first few years in the afterlife. Bardock never ceased to be amazed at the character of this particular Kanass. The day before he died, Bardock had led a Saiya-jin hunting team which had completely destroyed the entire population of planet Kanassa, and basically obliterated most of the planet itself. For Bardock, it had just been another day at work, but for Fionn, it was everything, even if he had been long dead before it happened. His home, his race, his family. When they first met, Bardock could hardly bear to tell Fionn the truth, for fear that he would lose a staunch ally and friend, but when Fionn finally learned of Bardock's actions, all he said was, "What's done is done". 

It was his motto, of sorts. Bardock treasured Fionn's friendship, and over the years the two had fought together against every conceivable form of enemy to be found in the afterlife. All part of their training. 

"Nothing much", Bardock replied, "just some meditation. Relaxing stuff, really". 

Fionn looked at him disbelievingly. He could see how laboured Bardock's breathing was, how ragged his breath, and how he was sweating profusely. 

"Meditation. I see". A thought suddenly struck him, however, and he asked, more seriously this time, "The visions again?" 

Bardock simply stared at the Kanass. "Y'know, one of these days you have got to tell me how you do that. How did you know?". 

"Oh come on. You look like you've just gone head to head with a horde of Saibamen. If sitting on your ass tires you out that much, then there's something seriously wrong with you, my friend", Fionn replied with one of his usual light-hearted remarks. 

"Heh, fair enough". Bardock sat down on a nearby rock; he felt like his legs were about to fail him. "Yeah, I got one of those damn flashes again. More vivid this time, and..". He paused to catch his breath, which still hadn't returned to normal. "..every time it happens, it takes more and more out of me". 

"Hmmm", Fionn mumbled from a few metres away. "Believe me, I know what you mean. Those visions were given to you by a Kanassa-jin, right?" 

Bardock nodded a response. 

"Well, all Kanass, including myself, experience those visions at some point throughout our lives. It's because of the unique energy which surrounds our planet. It alters normal brain chemistry in some way". 

"Yeah, I know. It was precisely because of that particular natural energy that Freezer sent us to…". Bardock paused once again. He didn't want to bring up the subject if it was a sensitive one, but Fionn beckoned him to continue. He did so. Cautiously. 

"One of my colleagues told me that Freezer had wanted Kanassa-Sei for a long time, because it was rumoured that the planet produced a mysterious energy source which encouraged the growth of psychic power. Obviously, that bastard would have wanted such a power himself, so we were sent in to…take…the planet for him. After the battle was over, I was taken by surprise by a lone Kanassa-jin warrior, and he struck me here". Bardock patted the back of his neck. "Within hours I had experienced my first vision. It showed me the destruction of Vegita-Sei, and the future of my son". 

"Your son? Which one?" Fionn enquired. 

"My second. Kakarotto. He was only an infant at the time". Bardock lowered his head. "He had a pathetic powerlevel, so I basically ignored him. Then, when the visions occurred, they changed all that. They showed me just how powerful he would eventually become. I suppose I began to accept him after that, for the short time I had left anyway". 

Fionn kept silent. He had a feeling that Bardock wasn't finished. He was right. 

"He was my son, Fionn, and yet I only accepted him when I realised that he would eventually become a great warrior. That's not right, is it?" 

Fionn took his time to reply. 

"Well, I can't claim to know how you Saiya-jins think, but I do know that your people value strength above all else. It's how you define yourselves; it's your entire existence. It's been bred into you over countless generations, so it's not something you're going to be able to suppress anytime soon. I guess it's only natural for a Saiya-jin father to judge his son by his power". 

"Maybe, but that still doesn't make me feel any better about how I treated him. Kakarotto was the last person I saw before I died, and I can safely say that I barely even knew him. My own son." 

Silence ensued for quite a while afterwards, as both warriors were lost in their own thoughts. Suddenly, Fionn offered an opinion… 

"Bardock, you said that these visions you've been having recently focused largely on Kakarotto, right?" 

Bardock nodded. Fionn continued. 

"Flashes tend to portray the events or people most important to the person who receives them. When you were alive, they showed the destruction of your home planet. Now, that was obviously the most important upcoming event in your life at that time, so that was what appeared in your visions. If your mind dwells on your son these days, it would certainly explain why the visions have returned, and why he features so prominently in them". 

Bardock interrupted, "Your point being..?" 

"I'm not finished yet. It could also mean that something of importance is going to happen to your son. Tell me something, how long do you reckon it's been since you died? I know it's nearly impossible to keep track of normal time in here, but how about a rough estimate?" 

"A rough estimate?" 

Bardock stopped and gave the matter some thought. He had never really paid it much heed before. "Uh, I dunno. I'd say at least 60 or 70 years, give or take a decade or two". 

"Well, there you go", Fionn continued. "If your son is still alive, then it'll be his time soon enough. No offence Bardock, but Saiya-jins aren't exactly known for their long life spans. It's possible that these visions may be trying to tell you that your son is about to die, if he hasn't already". 

Bardock jerked his head up. If Kakarotto was indeed dead, then that meant he could finally meet him. He could finally meet the son he had only known for a few days, the son who defeated the tyrant Freezer, the son he had rejected… 

He had only known him as a screaming baby all those decades ago on Vegita-Sei, and now he would be able to see the fine warrior he had grown into. He could apologise… 

Bardock leapt to his feet, his fatigue all but gone. Fionn had anticipated a response like this, just as he anticipated the next question that Bardock asked… 

"How can we find out?" 

"If your son is really dead or not? Well, that's easy enough, I suppose. If you return to the check-in station at the beginning of Snake Way, you could check with Enma Daiou. The only downside is…" 

"What?", Bardock questioned. 

Fionn raised his arm and pointed straight to his left. 

"Snake Way is about 50,000 miles in that direction…" 

Bardock stared quizzically him, "Are you sure? It didn't seem to take us that long to reach this place". He gestured to the forest all around him. 

"We've been wandering out here for years, Bardock. We've probably covered a lot of ground and we never even noticed". Fionn twisted his head so that he was looking in the direction of Snake Way, "I'd say it'll take us around a month to get there if we move as fast as possible". 

"You're coming too?" 

"Hell yeah. What else am I gonna do out here? Achieve inner peace? Besides, I'd be bored without your riveting tales of life as a Saiya-jin mercenary to keep me entertained". 

Bardock couldn't help but laugh. "So I'm stuck with you whether I like it or not, eh?" 

"You know it", Fionn replied. "Now come on, are we gonna go, or just sit around trading insults for the rest of eternity? Let's get moving". 

The two took to the air, and quickly powered forward, dramatically increasing their speed as they went. Bardock flew closer to Fionn so that he could be heard over the whine of the air rushing past their ears. 

"One month, huh?. Are you sure it'll really take that long?" 

"Almost certain", came the reply. "Also, if we see anyone on the way, it would be a good idea if we stopped and asked them about your son. A new Saiya-jin in the afterlife tends to attract a lot of attention". 

Bardock nodded in agreement, then stared ahead in the direction of their destination. The vast terrain of the afterlife- an area unlimited in size and possibilities, lay ahead, and he knew, deep down in the far reaches of his soul, that somewhere out in that limitless expanse, Kakarotto was waiting for him. 

"I swear I'll find you. Kakarotto. My son. I'm coming…" 

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	2. Legacy

Chapter 1: 

Chapter 1: Legacy 

Two weeks had passed since Bardock and Fionn left their training grounds at the Haltheon Forest. Without the need to eat or sleep, the journey had gone surprisingly fast, and by Fionn's estimations they were already over half way to their destination. 

Conversation had been somewhat limited for the past fortnight. Bardock was lost within his own thoughts, and Fionn was wise enough not to interrupt him, since he knew just how important the upcoming few weeks would be for him. A sudden flash of movement on the ground caught his eye, however, and he immediately halted his flight, breaking the silence for the first time in days. 

"Bardock", he called. "Hold up." 

Bardock did so, and turned to face his friend. "Yeah, what's the matter?" 

Fionn pointed earthwards. "I thought I saw something move on the mountain below us. There could be someone down there. We could ask them about your son if you want…" 

Bardock nodded. "Good idea. Let's do it." 

The two began a downward descent towards the mountain which Fionn had indicated, but before they got much closer the Kanassa-jin beckoned for Bardock to stop. 

"Uh, listen, remember how I said that a new Saiya-jin in the afterlife would attract attention? Well, that's generally because Saiya-jins are not exactly liked among the other races- as far as they're concerned, all Saiya-jin are bad news, so they tend to keep an eye out for them. Understand?" 

Bardock winced. "Yeah, I've met up with enough aliens here to know that they think we're all a bunch of merciless bastards." 

He paused for a moment. "I see what you mean. If there is anyone down there, they probably wouldn't respond well to a Saiya-jin demanding if they've ever seen his son." 

"Exactly", Fionn replied. "So unless you can find some way to make that disappear…" He pointed at Bardock's tail. "…you should stay up here and play it safe. I'll try and get some information out of them." 

Bardock nodded in agreement. "Good thinking. And good luck". 

Fionn broke away from him and continued downwards, quickly reaching the spot where he had detected the movement earlier on. Soon enough, he caught sight of the source- two aliens sparring on the mountain's peak. Fionn recognized them as being Shamo-jin, natives of the planet Shamo in the South Galaxy. By normal humanoid standards, they were extremely small with large bulbous heads, but from what Fionn could observe, they were also proficient fighters. The two quickly caught sight of him and broke off their battle, turning to face him with defensive stances and defiant looks on their faces. 

"Easy", Fionn said, raising his hands. "I'm not here to fight. I was just hoping you could answer a few questions." 

The Shamo-jin paused briefly, but refused to relax their defensive postures. The alien closest to Fionn eventually spoke. 

"You interrupted our training, Kanass. They better be important." 

Fionn, in turn, lowered his hands to his side. He knew that these two would be no match for him, so he felt no need to keep them raised in case of a surprise attack. 

"Don't worry. I won't bother you for long. I just wanted to ask you if you had heard of any new Saiya-jin in the area." 

"Saiya-jin!", the second alien spat out the word. "It was a Saiya-jin that destroyed our home planet! Are you saying that there are Saiya-jin nearby!?" He jerked his head around wildly as if expecting an ambush from all directions. 

"No, no, that's not it", Fionn hastily responded. "I just wanted to know if you had heard any rumours of a new Saiya-jin in the afterlife." 

The first alien took it upon himself to reply. He seemed much calmer than the second. "A new Saiya-jin? No, I haven't heard of any new Saiya-jin entering the afterlife since Vegita-Sei was destroyed." 

"Lucky for them", the second alien hissed. "If I ever come across a Saiya-jin, I swear, I'll kill him where he stands!" 

"That's going to be difficult", the first alien laughed. "Especially considering that they'll already be dead…" 

The second alien stared at him angrily. "I don't know how you can joke about it. Those filthy bastards destroyed Shamo-Sei!" 

The first sighed in exasperation. "A Saiya-jin may have destroyed our planet, but it was also a Saiya-jin that saved our entire race from extinction when Paragas' planet exploded." 

"Really?" Fionn was genuinely surprised. He had never met a Saiya-jin who would even consider committing a selfless act like saving an entire race. He wasn't even sure if Bardock would do it. "Are you sure? What was his name?" 

"Oh, it was a Saiya-jin all right. He didn't have a tail or anything, but well, I'm sure you know that Saiya-jins lose their tails all the time, especially considering how much they fight. Anyway, this particular fellas' name was Goku. Son Goku. I heard his friends call him that." 

"The name isn't familiar", Fionn muttered. "But thanks anyway. Listen, are you absolutely sure you've never once seen a Saiya-jin enter the afterlife while you've been here?" 

"Well, I've never seen one, but I heard a rumour that a Saiya-jin fought in the Annoyoichi Boudokai which was held after North Kaio's death. He did pretty well, or so I'm told. He fought his way all the way up to the finals. He even beat Paikuhan, but they were both disqualified afterwards on some technicality." 

"Paikuhan!? Are you serious!?". Fionn was shocked. He had fought against Paikuhan once, and he didn't even come anywhere close to his level of strength, and Paikuhan hadn't even removed his weighted training robes at the time. The Saiya-jin who beat him must have had incomprehensible strength. He had never heard of a Saiya-jin becoming that powerful… 

Bardock would have to be told about this. Fionn thanked the Shamo-jin for their help and took off in his direction. After an ascent of roughly 10 seconds, Fionn caught glimpse of the Saiya-jin, only a black dot high in the sky above him. Strangely enough, he didn't seem to be moving. 

By the time Fionn reached his position, he knew why. Bardock was sitting cross-legged in mid air, apparently in the midst of a meditative trance. 

"You asshole. What're you thinking?", Fionn swore half-heartedly at the Saiya-jin. He knew that the visions only occurred when Bardock meditated, just as he remembered that they always took at lot out of him when they did. If he had one now, Fionn wasn't sure if he would be able to keep aloft. Sure, he could survive the fall easily enough, but he'd wake up with a bad headache, and Fionn knew that a Saiya-jin with a headache was not exactly pleasant company. He decided to stay close by until the meditation was completed. Just in case. 

He hovered nearby and began throwing a few punches at passing clouds. Anything to pass the time. 

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, a look of severe agitation crossed Bardock's unconscious face. 

I"Kakarotto? Is that you? It looks like you, but you're…older. Stronger. And…you don't have a tail. Is it really you my son?" 

A new vision. Clearer, much more defined than the last. It's actually like I'm standing here, in the middle of this…stadium? Is that it? Is this a tournament? Kakarotto is on one side of the ring, and there's someone else on the other. Looks like a …like a Namek. Where is this? Is it Earth? Why is a Namek here? 

It's a tournament, definitely. But the look of sheer hatred in the eyes of the Namek. He has a personal stake in this fight, no doubt. To him, it's not a tournament; it's a means to an end. But why? Why does he hate my son so much? What could Kakarotto possibly have done? 

The Namek's taking flight, he's hovering over the ring, charging up a massive energy blast. Kakarotto's just standing there. Why? That blast will kill him for sure. But he can't die here. Not now. He was much older than this when I saw him fight Freezer. He must survive. He must avenge the Saiya-jin race. What is he going to do? 

He's saying something. But what…? 

"Ka…" 

His energy is skyrocketing! 

"Me.." 

He's gathering energy as well. He's planning to counter the blast! 

"Ha…" 

Unbelievable! He's improved so much since I saw him last. 

"Me…" 

That's it, my son. Show him what the Saiya-jin are capable of…" 

"HA!!!"/I 

Like a slap across the face, reality forced it's way back once more, and the vision faded like a hazy mist before his eyes. Entire seconds passed, and he felt the strangest sensation. Almost as if he was…falling. The gush of wind passing his face restored him back to consciousness, and he desperately tried to focus his energy and gather the strength to keep afloat, but he was so…tired. 

Suddenly, a hand grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, and a familiar voice let him know who was responsible for his sudden halt in descent. 

"Don't worry. I gotcha buddy", 

"Fionn? That you?", he mumbled weakly. 

"The one and only", came the reply. "You okay?" 

Bardock shook his head to clear away the last of the haziness his vision was experiencing, then managed to focus enough to take flight. "Thanks. I think I can keep afloat by myself now". 

"Don't mention it", the Kanassa-jin said, "But next time you decide to do a little mid-air meditation, remember that I won't always be around to save your ass from a nasty fall". 

"Hey, believe me, it's appreciated, but I don't think that'll happen again anytime soon." 

"Good", Fionn replied, scratching the back of his head. "Do you think you have enough energy left to fly?" 

Bardock cautiously used his ki to push himself forward slowly. 

"Yeah, I think I can manage". 

"Perfect. Because you can go to hell if you think I'm gonna carry you the rest of the way". 

Bardock laughed heartily. 

"Fionn my friend. Your generosity never ceases to amaze me." 

The two summoned as much ki energy as was needed and took flight once again, as they continued in the direction of the check-in station at the start of Snake Way. Fionn suddenly remembered what the Shamo-jin had told him, and flew closer so that Bardock could hear him. 

"Tell me. Have you ever heard of a Saiya-jin called Goku…?" 

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	3. Reluctant Lazarus

Chapter 2: Reluctant Lazarus 

Chapter 2: Reluctant Lazarus. 

The Check-In station, as it had been affectionately dubbed, was quite possibly the most important spot in the entire expanse of the afterlife. It was here where a deceased soul would be assigned where they would spend the rest of eternity, and whether or not they would be allowed to keep their physical body. It somewhat resembled a Japanese Shinto temple, and it was here where Enma Daiou meted out his judgement. After one month of near constant travel, Bardock and Fionn had arrived at this fateful location. 

"I hope he'll grant us an audience", Fionn mumbled. Both he and Bardock were waiting in line with a crowd of newly arrived souls from the living world. In their natural forms, the souls resembled small puffs of smoke, somewhat ethereal in appearance. 

"He better" Bardock grumbled from beside him. "I didn't fly 50,000 miles to be turned away". 

"Let's just hope he's in a good mood", Fionn replied. "I've heard he can be quite temperamental at times." 

"Look Fionn, I really don't give a shit whether he's temperamental or not. I came here to ask about my son, and he's damn well gonna give me an answer." 

Fionn was surprised at Bardock's harsh response, but he understood it. He raised his head and surveyed the line ahead of them. It was moving unusually slow, and the amount of time it was taking them to reach Enma Daiou was largely responsible for Bardock's bad mood. To pass the time, he decided to bring up a subject which had been bothering them both since Fionn had met up with the Shamo-jin 2 weeks ago. 

"Listen, I know we've been over this before, but are you absolutely sure you've never heard of this Saiya-jin Son Goku?" 

Bardock responded in a tone which let Fionn know that he had obviously given the matter some thought. 

"Positive. Honestly, I'm beginning to think that the Shamo-jin you talked to was only having you on. Son Goku isn't even a Saiya-jin name. The fact that he didn't have a tail doesn't exactly inspire confidence that the guy was Saiya-jin either." 

"Maybe. But think about it logically. You Saiya-jin are nearly always fighting, so it's conceivable that he could simply have lost it in battle. He might even have had it removed willingly…" 

Bardock cocked an eyebrow, and looked at Fionn quizzically. 

"Why would he do that? Our tail is the source of all our power. Without it he couldn't transform at the full moon. He'd be giving up the majority of his strength". 

"Fair enough", Fionn conceded. "But this Shamo was absolutely positive that this Goku was Saiya-jin. Just as he was positive that he didn't have a tail." 

"Yeah well, I'll believe it when I see it". 

3 hours later, the unlikely pairing of the Saiya-jin and Kanassa-jin stood before the King of the Afterlife, Enma Daiou. He was a massive entity with blood red skin and two sharpened horns protruding from his head. His demonic image was somewhat softened by the fact that he wore a suit, and was sitting behind a desk as big as he was, just like any regular businessman. 

He didn't seem to mind the fact that Fionn and Bardock had already been judged once before, and surprisingly, he seemed only too happy to help them out. 

"Heh, it's been a slow day. Honestly, I'm bored half to death, so this'll be a worthwhile distraction. Tell me, what can I do for you two?" 

A slow day? Fionn looked back along the ever-growing line of souls gathering to be judged. If this was a slow day, he never wanted to be here if it ever got busy… 

"I want some information about my son", Bardock stated brazenly. " I want to know if he has died yet". 

Enma Daiou's face fell. 

"That's all, huh? I was hoping for something more interesting. Ah screw it, it doesn't matter". He reached into a drawer in his desk, took out a thick leather bound book, and laid it out in front of him, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. "Name and race, please". 

"Kakarotto. He's a Saiya-jin". 

Enma Daiou began rifling through the pages in his book, muttering to himself all the way. "Saiya-jin, Saiya-jin, uh, now where are the "K's". Ah, here we go. Kaltachor. Kenerot..." 

He continued browsing through the pages for quite a while, then shut the book with a tremendous bang. 

"According to my records, there is no Saiya-jin named Kakarotto in the afterlife. It looks like your son is still alive." 

Fionn was quite surprised at that, and out of the corner of his eye he could see that Bardock wasn't taking the news very well; he could virtually feel the frustration emanating from all around him. Fionn could only guess that Bardock had been placing all his hopes on finding Kakarotto here in the afterlife. 

Suddenly, a bizarre thought entered the Kanassa-jin's mind, and he blurted out… 

"What about Son Goku?" 

Bardock turned and shot him a curious look, as did Enma Daiou. 

"Son Goku?", the massive demon said, before leaning back in his chair and letting out a deafening roar of laughter. "Goku!?" He continued his painfully loud belly laugh. 

"What the hell is this guys' problem?", Bardock muttered under his breath to Fionn. 

Enma Daiou wiped a tear of laughter from his eye. "Heh, I don't even have to look him up. That guy's been through here more times than anyone else I can remember. Honestly, It's kinda become a running joke around here. I'm even told that some of the ogres down in Hell have started placing bets as to when he'll get killed again. God, it must have been 3 times by now". 

Bardock and Fionn stared in amazement. 

"3 times!?", they uttered in unison. "How is that even possible?". 

Enma Daiou cleared his throat in an attempt to regain his composure. 

"Well, we don't like to make this public knowledge, but if there are extenuating circumstances, a soul may be allowed to return to the living world. For instance, Goku was once allowed to return to life for a period of 24 hours. He was still technically dead of course, and he had to return to the afterlife once the day was up, but, well, you get the idea. He obviously found some way to return to life permanently after that, but I have no idea how. I'm just in charge of judging souls up here. What they do after that is beyond my authority." 

Bardock and Fionn continued to stare blankly. They had no idea such a thing was possible. 

Bardock was the first to shake himself from the daze. 

"This Goku, was he a Saiya-jin?" 

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he was, all right. I must admit I found it quite hard to believe at first, since he sure as hell didn't act like any Saiya-jin, and, of course, he didn't have a tail. But from what Kaio-sama tells me, he was a Saiya-jin all right." 

Bardock's mind was working frantically. 

"Tell me, what planet was he from?" 

"The planet Earth, in the Northern Galaxy. Why?" 

Bardock almost felt his heart stop. 

Impossible? A Saiya-jin from the planet Earth? Could it be…Kakarotto? Earth was a frontier planet; its native species had below-average strength. No other Saiya-jin would have been sent to conquer such a pathetic planet. It must be…it must be Kakarotto! 

"You said he found a way to return to life. Is he still alive now?", Bardock shouted at Enma Daiou. 

"Uh", Enma Daiou scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "I don't really know. I gave up keeping track of Goku a long time ago". 

"Fuck", Bardock cursed. "Dammit, I really need to know. Isn't there any way you can check?" 

"Hmmm," Enma Daiou stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Let me see…" 

Leaning over, he reached into a drawer in his desk and pulled out yet another massive leather-bound book. After a few minutes of rifling, he raised his head with a triumphant grin on his face. 

"Right, well, I can't tell you if this Son character is actually still dead or not, but I can tell you someone who can. One of Goku's allies in life has recently arrived here in the afterlife. If anyone here knows, it'll be him." 

"Excellent", Bardock exclaimed with a smile. "Where can we find this guy?" 

"That way". Enma Daiou pointed to his right. "Exit the Check-In station, then continue in that direction for about 450 miles. That was his last known location, near the Atropos mountain range. He tends to stick to the wilderness areas quite a lot while he trains. Less distractions that way". 

"We can relate", Fionn replied. He faced Bardock. "Well, shall we be off?" 

Bardock nodded, then turned towards the exit of the Station. Before Fionn followed, he spoke to Enma Daiou one last time… 

"Oh yeah, if we're going to try and find this guy we should really know his name…" 

"Of course", the Demon King opened the book once more. "Ah yes, here we go. His name is Tenshinhan". 

Notes: 

Firstly, thanks for all the positive comments, people. They're really appreciated. 

Secondly, I normally wouldn't update with a brand new chapter during the week, but I had this one already written, so I thought I may as well post it up. Unfortunately, I have next to no time for writing on weekdays, what with school and everything, so it'll be the weekend by the time the next chapter is up… 

Document created with wvWare/wvWare version 0.6.7 -->


	4. The Student of Tsurusennin

Chapter 3: The Student of Tsurusennin  
  
The Atropos mountain range was located to the north of Enma Daiou's Check-In station, and ran in an almost constant line for over 3,000 miles across the land. It served as barrier, of sorts, separating the Sepulchrave Peninsula from the windswept Platignom Plains. Reaching heights of well over 6,000 feet, this natural boundary usually tended to discourage travel between the two regions.  
  
Today, however, two distinctive travellers could be seen making their way up the treacherous slopes.  
  
Bardock sneezed.  
  
"What's up?", Fionn enquired from his position several metres ahead of him.  
  
"Nothing", came the reply. "It's just so damn dusty around here. Cold too. You'd think this guy could have chosen a more hospitable training area."  
  
A bitter wind chose that precise moment to kick up.  
  
Bardock sneezed again.  
  
"Crap".  
  
"Nice one," Fionn jibed. "A mighty Saiya-jin warrior laid low by some bad weather".  
  
"I'm glad you find it so amusing. I'm freezing my ass off over here."  
  
"Maybe you should transform, eh? Then at least you'll have a fur coat to keep you warm..."  
  
Bardock muttered an incomprehensible string of profanities from behind him. Fionn grinned and shook his head. Saiya-jin swear words never ceased to amuse him.  
  
Bardock rubbed his hands together in an effort to keep them warm.  
"This guy better be worth it after all the trouble we've gone through. He better be able to help us find Kakarotto..."  
  
Fionn turned and stared at him. "I don't know why you insist on calling him that. We don't even know for sure if this Goku is your son or not."  
  
"No question about it", Bardock stated flatly. "Kakarotto was dispatched to Earth barely an hour before Vegita-Sei was destroyed. There's no way any other Saiya-jin could or would have been sent to that particular planet."  
  
"Fair enough," Fionn conceded, before turning and continuing up the slope. "Anyway, from what Enma Daiou told me, this Tenshinhan has known Son Goku since he was a child. There's a good chance he'll be able to point us in the right direction."  
  
They walked in silence for what seemed to be hours, wandering aimlessly around the mazelike mountain paths in an attempt to find some trace of then man they were looking for. Their search ultimately proved fruitless, until Bardock called over the howl of the wind for Fionn to stop.  
  
"Hey", he shouted, pointing his finger at the same time. "What exactly do you think that is?"  
  
Fionn followed the line of Bardock's finger until his eyes met with what appeared to be a solid stone wall. It took him a moment to realise that what interested Bardock was not the wall itself, rather what was reflecting upon it. It had caught the light from some unknown source, which flickered and danced over it's surface like a whirling dervish. It looked somewhat like a small explosion, or...  
  
"A fire?", Fionn said disbelievingly.  
  
"It can't be", Bardock agreed. "A fire wouldn't last 5 seconds in this wind".  
  
The two took flight and moved closer to the wall in question. Only when they got within a few metres of the flickering light, did they realise exactly where the source was coming from. There was a massive gorge at the base of the wall, almost entirely hidden from view by some strategically placed boulders; the entrance was next to invisible from any further than several feet away. As they stared down, they realised that it was indeed a fire that had caused the flickering, but it was located at the very bottom of the gorge.  
  
Bardock turned to Fionn.  
"Could be him".  
  
"Let's check it out".  
  
As soon as they began to descend into the yawning expanse of the seemingly bottomless valley, it became apparent just why a fire was able to survive despite the hostile weather conditions. The gorge was given heavy protection on either side by two massive limestone walls, which staunchly refused to let any of the bitter wind inside the large crevice. Bardock and Fionn also noticed that the temperature rose significantly, possibly because of the fact that Eregal, Atropos' main peak, had once been an active volcano. As a result, several hotsprings were dotted across the face of the mountain. Fionn had a feeling that the reason for the gorge's high temperature was that there was a dormat geothermic vent in the area. Not the most settling of thoughts, by any means, but it at least it beat the cold.  
  
The gorge itself was quite deep, and it took at least a minute to reach the bottom. It was worth it, however, for on the surface they found both the fire which had drawn them to the spot, and the man who had become the target of their search- the Student of Tsurusennin, Tenshinhan.  
  
He was sitting cross-legged by the fire with his eyes, all 3 of them, closed, his peaceful and serene demeanour contrasting greatly with the raging environment which surrounded him. It didn't last. Sensing their approach, he leapt to his feet in anticipation of an attack. He was exactly as Enma Daiou had described him, a powerfully built warrior with a scar running the length of his chest. He also looked far from happy at being disturbed during what had obviously been a period of relaxation.  
  
His manner was such that Fionn actually thought the man was going to take the initiative and launch an offensive before they even reached the bottom, and so he immediately struck a fighting pose of his own, ready to counter any possible oncoming threat; no matter how intense.  
  
The seconds passed, and still neither fighter moved a muscle as they stared at each other with ferocious intensity, almost as if each warrior were daring the other to attack.  
  
It took Fionn a moment to realise that Tenshinhan was not actually staring at him...but at Bardock, who was simply hovering calmly beside him with his arms folded across his chest.  
Fionn found it strange that the Terran had had taken his eyes off him, the obvious aggressor, in favour of someone who clearly posed no immediate threat. He found it even more incredible, however, when Tenshinhan lowered his arms and dropped his guard completely.  
  
"What the hell?", Fionn thought to himself. "What is this look in his eyes? It can't be...recognition, can it?"  
  
Tenshinhan's gaze lingered on Bardock, and he spoke for the first time since the three met.  
"It can't be. You look just like..."  
His stern demeanour returned, and he brandished his fist wildly in the air.  
"Who the hell are you!? Tell me now!"  
  
Bardock lowered himself to the ground, maintaining eye contact with Tenshinhan all the way. As soon as he made contact with the valley floor, he walked slowly towards him, until he was eye to eye with the agitated fighter.  
  
"My name is Bardock- the father of Son Goku." 


	5. The Magic Spheres of Life

Chapter 4: The Magic Spheres of Life.  
  
The fire continued to crackle loudly at the base of the gorge, as it fiercely spat cinders at it's unyielding surroundings. The noise of the small blaze did nothing to distract the three dead warriors however, as they struggled to come to terms with the revelations which had just been thrust upon them.  
  
Bardock, Fionn, and the now-complacent Tenshinhan sat cross-legged at opposite ends of the fire, and talked amongst each other as jovially as if they had been old friends undergoing a much-awaited reunion. Tenshinhan, in particular, was only too eager to converse with the father of the man he considered to have been the greatest fighter of all time.  
  
"It really is unbelievable," he uttered with awe. "The resemblance between you two is uncanny, Bardock. You look so much like Goku it's unnatural".  
  
"I'll have to take your word on that one", Bardock said. "The visions I have never really give me a clear glimpse of his face. Although, I must admit, it wouldn't seem all that unusual to me. Saiya-jin children tend to closely resemble their parents quite a lot. Isn't it the same with other species?"  
  
"Not to the same extent. If it wasn't for those scars of yours, you and Goku would be almost identical."  
  
"I guess that proves for certain that I am his father, after all, and that this Goku is indeed Kakarotto."   
  
"Hmmm," Tenshinhan grunted. "I could have told you that even without the resemblance. Vegita used to refer to Goku all the time as "Kakarotto". It's his real name, right?"  
  
Bardock sat up with interest.  
"Wait a minute, did you say Vegita? Do you mean Prince Vegita?"  
  
Tenshinhan's face darkened.  
"That's him. I can safely say that I'll never forget that bastard. My experiences with him were the main reason I formed a bad opinion of Saiya-jins in the first place."  
  
"Really?," Bardock smirked. "So tell me, what changed your opinion?".  
  
"Goku, mostly. He went a long way to assuaging my doubts about you as a race. So did Gohan, Goten and Trunks. I also met up with a few of you after I arrived here, and, well, I eventually realised that you're not all bad."  
  
"Gohan and Goten? Are they Saiya-jin too?"  
  
Tenshinhan cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah, they're Goku's sons. Trunks is Vegita's, hard as it is to believe."  
  
Bardock's eyes bugged. Goku's kids? That meant they were...his grandchildren. He was a grandfather.  
He smiled.   
  
"Grandkids, eh? I feel so old..."  
  
Fionn, who had remained silent during the majority of conversation, cracked a grin, and leaned over to give Bardock a pat on the back.  
  
"Congratulations, gramps."  
  
Bardock looked distinctively proud that his bloodline had continued into another generation. Once he found Kakarotto, he thought to himself, he would have to look them up.   
  
Suddenly, he thought of another issue that had been brought up back at the Check-In station, and he turned to face Tenshinhan once again.  
  
"Listen, before I forget, there's something I want to ask you. When we were at the Check-In station beside Snake Way, Enma Daiou told us that Kakarotto had died over 3 times already, and every time he found a way to return to life. How is that even possible?  
  
"Ah, well," Tenshinhan began, with the hint of a smile at the corner of his face. "That's an easy one. Tell me, have either of you ever heard the word "dragonball" before?"  
  
"Never", came the unanimous reply.  
  
"Didn't think so", Tenshinhan continued. "They're actually Namekian in origin, so very few other races have knowledge of their existence. Earth is probably the only other planet in the entire universe that has a set".  
  
"Only two planets?," Fionn interjected. "That's highly unusual. I don't think I've ever come across a natural phenomenon limited to only two worlds. Why is that? If they originated on Namek, then logically, if they ever appeared on another planet, it should be one similar to their planet of origin. From what I've been led to believe, Earth possesses a vastly different environment and ecosystem."  
  
Bardock suddenly remembered the vision he was struck with over 3 weeks ago; the one which showed a fight to the death between Kakarotto and...a Namek.  
  
"A Namek-sei-jin came to Earth...and...brought them with him", he mumbled under his breath.  
  
Tenshinhan raised an eyebrow in surprise.  
"Well yes, that's...basically correct. Dragonballs aren't a naturally occurring phenomenon. They have to be created, and as far as we know, Nameks are the only race capable of doing just that. A Namek named Piccolo created two sets of dragonballs on our planet, and those are what we used to restore Goku to life when he was killed."  
  
"They can reincarnate the dead?"  
  
"If you gather all 7 balls together, they can do anything. There are certain limitations though. They cannot affect anything or anyone more powerful than their creator, and they have to regenerate themselves after every wish is made. The set of dragonballs that we used most often on Earth had an extra limitation, in that they couldn't grant the same wish more than once. That's all different now, however, since the balls were powered up."  
  
Fionn simply stared in amazement   
  
Bardock scratched his chin thoughtfully and decided to ask the question which had brought him over 50,000 miles across the afterlife.  
  
"Tenshinhan. My son...is he...dead?"  
  
Tenshinhan bowed his head slightly, and lowered his voice.  
"That's something I honestly don't know. This is all I can tell you. The last time I ever saw Goku was about 50 years ago, in the living world. You see, the thing about Goku is that I could always sense his ki energy, no matter where on Earth he was. So could anyone else who had the ability to sense a fighters' aura. He was simply that powerful; his ki was like a constant background energy around the entire planet."  
  
He paused momentarily, as if lost in the memory of his previous life.  
  
"But," he continued. "That day, the last time I ever saw Goku alive, his energy simply disappeared. It just vanished, without warning and without a trace. It was then that I knew something had happened to him, so I decided to seek out the others and find out just what that was. No one knew. Not a single living being on Earth knew where Goku had gone. It was as if he had vanished into thin air."  
  
Hearing this, Bardock looked almost frantic, for if no one knew where Kakarotto was, how would he ever be able to find him?  
  
Tenshinhan kept going.  
"Eventually I decided to swallow my pride and go to Vegita for answers. He and Goku had been constant rivals for many decades, so I figured that if anyone knew what had happened to him, he would. Long story short, Vegita wouldn't have anything to do with me. I knew that he was hiding something, and it very nearly turned nasty when I tried to force him to tell me, but I left that day without anything new for my troubles. Vegita was the only one who knew what had happened to Goku, and he never told anyone.  
After about 5 years, there was still no sign of Goku's return, and it generally became accepted that he was probably dead, although no one had any idea of how it might possibly have happened.  
Then, when I arrived here in the afterlife, I made it my top priority to find my old friend. No luck, unfortunately. I've spent the last 20 years scouring the far reaches of this infinite expanse in hope of finding even the smallest trace of him, but I never found anything. I never sensed even the smallest glimmer of his energy."  
  
He sighed, and the sound of grief began to creep into his voice.  
"It's like he simply ceased to exist."  
  
Bardock was stunned. This was something he never would have expected, never could have prepared for. Kakarotto, his son, had seemingly vanished from all known planes of reality, leaving behind a guilt-ridden father who would now never be able to amend the sins of his past. It was too cruel.  
Fate had robbed him of the chance to see his son grow up once before. Was this his cursed fate? Never to see his son again? Was he doomed to relive the memories of rejecting his own flesh-and-blood over and over as some form of penance? He was given a chance and he blew it, was that it? It was unbearable punishment. He thought that he had been given a chance to atone for his treatment of Kakarotto all those many decades ago, but it looked like that was just a delusion. He had been fooling himself. They were destined never to know each other. Father and son- apart for all eternity.  
  
He heard Fionn's voice from across the fire.  
"Don't worry, friend. We'll find a way."  
  
He turned to Tenshinhan.  
"Could he be wished back from wherever he is?"  
  
Tenshinhan raised his head, a sorrowful look on his face. It was clear that he missed his old friend.  
"I don't know. For a wish like that to work, first of all we'd need to know where he is, and I don't see how we could possibly find that out.  
Then again, I'm not the best person to ask when it concerns the capabilities of the dragonballs."  
  
"But that's what I find so hard to believe," Fionn cut in. "There are only two planes of reality- the living world and the afterlife. Now, if Goku isn't in either of those, where else could he be? Is there a third plane out there somewhere?"  
  
Tenshinhan shook his head. "Not as far as I know, but when it comes to the dragonballs, the rules change. They are an unbelievably complex mystical creation, and I believe that only their creators can truly understand them."  
  
Tenshinhan seemed to suddenly gain inspiration from his own words; almost as if he thought of something that he had never even considered before.  
"Their own creators..." he muttered quietly.  
  
He got to his feet. "Let's go", he ordered.  
  
Bardock and Fionn looked at him in surprise, but picked themselves up nonetheless.  
  
"Go where?" Bardock enquired.  
  
Surprisingly, a smile cut across Tenshinhan's normally serious face, and he replied...  
  
"A place I'm willing to bet you've never been before. We're going to Hell, my friends." 


	6. The Challenge of Conoracha

Chapter 5: The Challenge of Conoracha.  
  
"Uh, correct me if I'm wrong, but did you just say Hell?" Fionn enquired. He turned to Bardock.  
  
"Did he just say Hell?"  
  
Bardock could not provide an answer, as he simply stared at Tenshinhan as if the man had lost his mind. Nonetheless, he took it upon himself to re-iterate Fionn's question.  
  
"Are you serious?"  
  
Tenshinhan nodded, a look of supreme satisfaction and confidence on his face. It did nothing to assuage Bardock's doubts about his state of mind.  
"There's someone there I want you to meet".  
  
Bardock and Fionn looked curiously at each other. This was something they definitely hadn't bargained on...  
  
"There's only one minor problem with that little plan. You can't get in to Hell unless you were judged and assigned there. It's just not done," Fionn eventually said.  
  
Tenshinhan held up his finger.  
"Not exactly. Believe it or not, Hell is actually very easy to enter; it's the leaving part that's tricky. The entire area of Hell itself stretches for hundreds of thousands of miles, and is surrounded by an invisible net which prevents any souls from leaving, but not from entering. In fact, most people stay well away from the vicinity of the wall, because it's possible to wander right into Hell without even realising it, and then you're stuck.  
Because of this, the wall itself has become known as the Gateless Barrier."  
  
Bardock failed to see the point of this.  
"If that's true, then why the hell do you want to go there? If there's no way out, we'll be stuck there for all eternity, even if we do meet this person you know".  
  
"I never said there was no way out. As a matter of fact, there are quite a few ways of leaving; secret exits and such, but they are only known to a select few people in charge of running the afterlife. I myself don't know of their locations".  
  
Bardock was beginning to get frustrated; Tenshinhan's rant was going nowhere.   
"So how exactly are we supposed to leave the place then?"  
  
Tenshinhan smiled once more. He beckoned for Bardock and Fionn to come closer.  
"Place your hand on my shoulder."  
  
They did so, with more than a little hesitation. They had absolutely no idea where this was going...  
  
"You can thank your son for this, Bardock. If it weren't for him, I never would have learned this particular technique".  
  
Fionn glanced at him quizzically.  
"What technique?"  
  
"A little something called... Shunkan Idou."  
  
Tenshinhan raised an arm and touched his forehead with two fingers on his right hand. Beside him, Bardock and Fionn slowly became aware of something very odd happening to their bodies. They had become...almost weightless; they felt as if they could float on the back of a light breeze. Suddenly, the air around them began to distort, their vision blurred and then...darkness washed over them.  
  
The darkness was all encompassing; it surrounded them, it spanned millennia, it lasted...for a fraction of a second.   
  
When his vision returned, Bardock turned to Tenshinhan and shouted angrily.  
"What the fuck..  
  
He stopped and looked around him,  
  
"...was that?"  
  
Their surroundings had changed completely. They were no longer at the base of the gorge on the side of Eregal Peak, they were...somewhere else. All three of them stood in the middle of a vast plain, covered in something which resembled grass and other strange looking plants. The sky burned an inhospitable red colour, with belts of angry black clouds stretching for as far as the eye could see. Various mountains were dotted along the horizon. Far from being scenic, the closest thing Bardock felt they resembled were blood tipped thorns. It was like someone had taken all the features of the afterlife and twisted them into something vile and unrecognisable.  
  
Bardock turned back to Tenshinhan.  
  
"This is...Hell?"  
  
Tenshinhan nodded.  
  
"And you've been here before?". Bardock continued to stare around with awe.  
  
"Once or twice. Don't worry; it's not all as bad as this place. Hell is just like the rest of the afterlife; different sections are modelled after different planets."  
  
Bardock and Fionn were speechless.  
  
"Let's get going. I want to find this person as quickly as possible so that we can leave as quickly as possible. I never like to stay down here for too long."  
  
Bardock and Fionn, still struck with disbelief at being immersed in such malevolent surroundings so suddenly, nodded in agreement numbly.  
  
"If possible," Tenshinhan continued, "I want to try and avoid making contact with any of the native inhabitants. Some of them are fantastically strong, and all of them are down here for a reason."  
  
"Damn straight!"  
  
A voice screamed from some unknown location, jerking Bardock and Fionn out of their daze. Tenshinhan had already assumed a defensive stance; he had been here before, and he knew fine well that the inhabitants of Hell were rarely friendly.  
The three warriors formed themselves into a protective circle, so that they covered each other's flanks from attack. Strangely enough, they were unable to determine the source of the voice.  
  
Without warning, a massive ki attack flared out of nowhere and headed straight for their position. They all sensed it simultaneously.  
"Jump!" Tenshinhan roared.  
All three of them took flight and pushed themselves upward as hard and as fast as possible to avoid the explosion the blast would cause.  
They got about 200 metres into the air before the attack struck the ground where they had been standing only seconds before. Even at that distance, the sheer force of the blast could be felt. When the smoke cleared, all that remained of the ground for nearly half a mile around was a massive crater.  
  
"Amazing power," Fionn muttered to himself. He then yelled to his companions. "Keep your guard up! Whoever it is, he's no amateur!"  
  
"No shit, genius". The voice boomed once again. This time however, the source revealed itself.  
Down in the epicentre of the crater, a single alien materialised out of nowhere. Even from that distance, Fionn, Bardock and Tenshinhan could see his features clearly. He was humanoid in shape, with leathery brown skin and two long devilish horns which protruded from above his eyes. A thick mane of dark hair whirled around him. He was only average in size, but his stature belied an incredible attack power, as had just been demonstrated.  
  
Two others materialised on either side of him. They were of the same species, but these two were even smaller. Despite that, however, Bardock could sense a huge amount of energy emanating from all three of them.  
  
The first alien spoke.  
"Excellent. Nice manoeuvre."  
He smiled.  
"There's been a shortage of new blood around here recently." His features darkened. "We haven't killed anyone in a long time."  
  
Fionn grimaced. Technically, a warrior couldn't be killed in the afterlife, since they were obviously already dead, but if their body were damaged to a certain degree, their soul would be forced to leave the shattered shell; they would have to spend the rest of eternity as a puff of ethereal smoke. For a fighter who had devoted their entire existence to the betterment and improvement of their body, it was a fate worse than death.  
  
The first alien beckoned to his partners.  
"Malachi. Jermotte. Go, kill them both, but leave the Saiya-jin for me".  
  
"Hai, Conoracha-sama". The two complied, then disappeared from their leader's side. They reappeared barely a second later behind the trio of Tenshinhan, Bardock and Fionn.  
  
"Shit", Fionn cursed. "They're fast".  
  
Malachi roared, then dashed towards his Fionn- his target of choice. Jermotte did the same and went for Tenshinhan. Without the opportunity to sufficiently power up, neither of them were anywhere near full strength, and so it was all they could do to merely avoid the alien's furious assaults. Their defensive techniques were admirable, and they managed to block most of the blows directed at them, but a few of the lightning-fast punches kept snaking in past their guard. The aliens' fists felt like sledgehammers.  
  
Tenshinhan broke away from his opponent momentarily, and used the opportunity to attract Fionn's attention.  
  
"Fionn!", he yelled. "This way!"  
  
He dived earthwards at fantastic speed, followed closely by Fionn. As he had anticipated, the two aliens were soon hot on their heels.  
"Perfect", he thought to himself, before whispering to his partner, "Fionn, cover your eyes!"  
  
Directing all his ki downwards, he managed to halt his rapid descent, and came crashing to a halt only a few metres off the ground. He turned and twisted upwards so that he was facing the two oncoming enemies. Quickly he scanned the sky above him- there was no sun of any description, but enough of a light source to get the job done. Raising his hands to either side of his face, he roared, "Taiyouken!"  
  
For a hundred miles around, the sky turned bright, as the entirety of light energy in the region was gathered by Tenshinhan and focused back in one direction- straight in the faces of his enemies. They screamed in pain as the intense light made contact with their eyes, and they immediately halted their descent as they frantically began clawing at their faces in some attempt to regain their vision. Tenshinhan took this opportunity to act.  
"Fionn, now's our chance! Release your ki quickly, or we don't have a hope against these guys!"  
  
Fionn obliged and began to power up, as did Tenshinhan. He calmly regulated his breathing as if he were preparing to meditate, then concentrated solely on releasing his dormant power. The results were evident within seconds, as energy crackled around them, and their muscles bulged with newfound strength. Tenshinhan knew they didn't have much time, maybe another 10 seconds at most, so he rushed it much more than he usually would. Careless, he thought, but he didn't exactly have much of a choice.  
  
Sure enough, within seconds Malachi and Jermotte had shaken off the effects of the devastating Taiyouken technique, spotted their victims once again, and continued their trajectory towards the ground.  
"Tenshinhan!", Fionn shouted. "They're almost here! Are you ready?"  
  
"Yeah! Let's take the initiative this time! Agreed?"  
  
"No problem. Ready when you are!"  
  
The two gathered as much ki as they could muster and forced themselves upwards, straight towards the oncoming aliens, who had obviously never considered their enemies to adopt such a direct approach. Almost simultaneously, Fionn and Tenshinhan swung upwards with two vicious right hooks which took the aliens completely by surprise. The impact was phenomenal, and Fionn could hear the distinct crack of his opponent's jaw breaking. The punches sent them flying backwards, and it took quite a lot of effort to stop and get themselves into a stationery position. They then flew closer together, and wiped the blood from their battered faces.  
  
Fionn and Tenshinhan continued upwards until they were directly opposite their two opponents. All four of them adopted fighting stances, as they glowered at each other with supreme hatred.  
"Okay," Fionn said through gritted teeth. "Round Two..."  
  
Meanwhile, Bardock was having problems of his own. The alien's leader had singled him as the focus of his attention...  
  
"Do you want to know why I picked you, Saiya-jin?" Conoracha asked with glee.  
  
Bardock gave him an intimidating stare and didn't respond.  
  
"It's because I sensed that you are the most powerful out of your little group. And..." He raised his hand in front of his face and laughed. "...I want the best possible fight I can get." He paused and studied Bardock thoughtfully for a moment.  
"Hmmm, you know something? The way you are at the moment you wouldn't pose even the slightest threat to me."  
His face darkened.  
"Power up. I want to fight you at your best."  
  
Bardock found it hard to hide his surprise, but he refused to waste such a good opportunity. Conoracha was right; at his current level of strength he wouldn't even scratch him. If he wanted to win this fight, he would have to raise his power to the maximum level.  
He crossed his hands in front of his face and howled at the top of his voice. Within seconds, his body began to glow and pulsate; he could feel his muscles and tendons hardening in preparation for battle. The process only took several moments, but he needed to go an extra bit to get his absolute maximum. After a minute or so, he knew he could go no further, so he relaxed and halted the power up. Now he was ready to fight.  
  
Conoracha could obviously sense this, and he immediately leapt forward to initiate the fight. Bardock stood motionless as Conoracha crossed the distance between them in only a fraction of a second, even when the alien drew back his arm in preparation for a devastating punch. At the last second, Bardock vanished, causing Conoracha to pass straight through the spot where he had once been. The alien's surprise at Bardock's speed allowed the Saiya-jin to momentarily take the advantage, as he reappeared behind Conoracha and dealt him a vicious elbow to the back of the neck, sending him crashing headfirst into the dusty ground.  
Bardock then brought up his foot and prepared to crush the aliens' head in, but Conoracha's speed was equal to his own, and he simply vanished, causing Bardock's foot to crash harmlessly into the ground, creating a large crater.  
He reappeared right beside him and launched a punch at Bardock's head, which was caught easily enough in mid-air. Bardock kept a firm grip on the fist so that Conoracha was unable to escape, then shot a kick at his midsection. Even though he was unable to dodge, the alien twisted his leg up and took the kick on his shin. He then drew his face back and headbutted his opponent for all he was worth.  
Blood spurting from his nose, Bardock staggered back and lost his grip on Conoracha's fist. He recovered almost immediately, and leapt towards the alien before he had a chance to get too far away. The two showered each other with earth-shattering blows for several minutes, before fatigue dictated that they would have to stop.  
  
They retreated to within a few feet of each other and kept their guard up, panting heavily all the time.  
  
"You're...good...", Conoracha said in between his laboured breaths. "I've never met...a...Saiya-jin...as strong...as you are".  
  
Bardock simply grunted. He was in no mood for talking.  
  
A sly grin crossed Conoracha's face. "But..."  
  
He drew both his hands into fists, and planted his feet firmly on either side of him.  
"...you're...not...strong...enough"  
  
Bardock raised his head in surprise, as Conoracha began to raise his energy even higher.  
"Fuck!!" he thought to himself. "He wasn't even using his full power?!"  
  
The sheer force of Conoracha's energy knocked him of his feet, as the wind picked up and swirled around the alien. He let out an inhuman hiss, which escalated into an almighty roar. The ground around him was torn to pieces by his increasing ki as he completed his power up.  
  
Bardock picked himself up of the round and brushed the dust from his face. Conoracha stood before him, fully rejuvenated and stronger than ever. How the hell was he supposed to beat him now?  
  
The alien laughed heartily.  
"You put up a decent fight, Saiya-jin. For that you get to die quickly."  
  
He flew towards Bardock with blinding speed, extended his fist, and rammed it into his stomach using his momentum to boost the impact. Bardock's body convulsed with the pain, and he spluttered to cough up the blood from his damaged lungs. He instinctively bent over to grasp his stomach, whereupon Conoracha brought his hand down and dealt him the deathblow to the back of the neck.  
The last thought that passed through Bardock's head before his face made contact with the ground was his son.  
  
"...Kakarotto...I'm sorry..."  
  
Then all was dark. 


	7. This ManThis Monster

Chapter 6: This Man...This Monster.  
  
Conoracha stared down at his defeated opponent, the nameless Saiya-jin who had become the latest warrior to fall before his seemingly indomitable power. He lay in a crumpled pile at Conoracha's dust-covered feet, a pool of dark red blood slowly spreading outwards in a grotesque circle from his damaged head. The crimson liquid seeped into the cracks which had been created when the Saiya-jin made contact with the ground, and steadily began to trickle into the unknown crevices which lay beneath. Conoracha raised his boot and prepared to crush the Saiya-jin into a bloody pulp...  
  
The sound of battle caught his attention, however, and he turned himself around, surprised that his two comrades had not yet triumphed over their respective opponents. It amazed him even more, however, to see that Malachi and Jermotte were, in fact, being overpowered by the other two fighters, and it looked to him like they were close to losing.  
  
"Useless," he growled through clenched teeth. Then, glancing down at Bardock, he snarled.  
"Don't go anywhere..."  
  
He disappeared from beside the fallen fighter in a flurry of motion, quickly reappearing high above the ground, where he separated his two fighters from Tenshinhan and Fionn, who were more than a little startled at his remarkable speed. Despite their surprise, they noticed that Conoracha had dropped his guard to beside his body, and they refused to let such a good opportunity go to waste. They attacked almost simultaneously: two vicious punches to either side of his exposed face. The power of the strikes should have crushed his skull. Conoracha didn't even flinch.  
  
Without warning, he lashed out with his left arm and right leg, catching Fionn and Tenshinhan square in the midsection. The impact from the seemingly effortless attack was mind-blowing, causing both fighters to double over in agony. Conoracha then dealt the stricken fighters a blow to the back of the neck, just like he had bone with Bardock, although not just as powerful this time. It was his favourite method of disabling a weaker opponent, and he knew he wouldn't have to hit these two as hard as the Saiya-jin. Nonetheless, it packed sufficient power to send Fionn and Tenshinhan flying to earth, already well on the way to unconsciousness.  
  
They crashed headfirst into the ground, further enlarging the crater caused by Conoracha's initial ki attack. Over a minute passed, and they remained motionless, telling Conoracha that his attack had the desired effect- they were completely out cold.  
  
He raised his right hand above his head and extended a single long, clawed finger. Slowly but surely, a small ball of energy appeared above it: first it was only the size of a small pebble, then a few centimetres in diameter, then a few inches, then a few feet...  
He let it grow until it reached a sufficient size, then turned his attentions to the three beaten warriors on the ground below.  
  
"Time to end this. I know you can't hear me, but I hope you enjoy living the rest of eternity as a puff of smoke!".   
  
He laughed insanely, and prepared to unleash the coruscating energy ball in their direction.   
  
Unfortunately for him, he was completely unaware that something of great importance was transpiring in the mind of one of his defeated opponents.  
  
"Am I dead?  
  
I can't be dead. I have to find my son.  
  
Two sons. Two. I have two sons.  
  
Why are they fighting each other? Raditzu! Kakarotto! You two are each other's flesh and blood! What the hell are you doing?  
  
Another vision. Kakarotto, Raditzu, and...the Namek! The Namek again! That's twice I've seen him now. What significance does he hold? He obviously knows my son, but this time it's different. They seem to be...working together now. The hatred in his eyes is still there, but not as intense as before. He and Kakarotto are fighting side by side, against his own brother. Why?  
  
Skip ahead. Kakarotto is injured, badly. His ribs are broken, his lungs are pained. He's restraining his brother, and the Namek is...  
  
No! He's charging up a massive energy attack! Has he betrayed Kakarotto? Something that powerful will kill them both. Kakarotto is encouraging him, telling him to fire. Is he insane? Does he want to die that badly?  
  
I shout until my throat is raw, but they can't hear me. The Namek prepares to release his attack. Raditzu begs for his life.  
  
Kakarotto! Don't do this! For God's sake, you're killing your own brother!  
  
MAKANKOSAPPO!  
  
No!"  
  
"No!". Bardock woke up screaming. Not another damned vision. Not again. Not now.  
  
Blinding pain shot through the back of his head, and he gingerly reached back with one of his gloved hands. It came away covered in a sticky red substance. The sight of his own blood shocked him back to reality, as did the memories of where he was and what had happened to him.  
  
He quickly sat up and looked around him. The terrain was in shambles, and only a few metres away lay two motionless bodies- Fionn and Tenshinhan. His eyes widened, the remainder of his memories came rushing back, and he recalled the recent events with electric clarity.  
  
"Conoracha! He did this! I remember now," he sputtered to himself. His vision was blurred at the edges, and even the smallest impact jarred his damaged head, causing angry red spots to dance in front of his eyes. He stumbled over a piece of rubble, and the pain in his head almost tripled.  
  
"Dammit", he swore. "I can't fight like this..." He twisted his head around as far as his neck would permit, desperately trying to locate Conoracha and his two partners. A sudden flash of light above him caught his attention, and he directed his vision to an area high above the ever-expanding crater. Three figures lay there, silhouetted against the burning red sky.  
  
"Conoracha", he hissed.  
  
The alien paused the enlargement of his ki attack, and for good reason. Far below him, the impossible had just occurred; the Saiya-jin was still alive. More than that, he was able to walk.   
  
"No fucking way!", he roared with genuine anger. "I hit him hard enough to put down a man three times his size! What the fuck is that guy made of!?"  
  
He turned to Malachi and Jermotte, then pointed to Fionn and Tenshinhan.  
"Keep an eye on those two. They're not dead yet".  
  
He turned and faced downwards; ready to finish what he had originally believed to be an easy fight. His ki energy gathered behind him, preparing to propel him in whatever direction he so desired. It was a difficult enough technique, but after countless years of use, it simply came as second nature to Conoracha. The energy was gathered and collected in specific areas, then, depending on how powerful the user was, it could be used to levitate and power forward in a move that simulated flight. This incredibly useful technique was called Buku Jhutsu.  
  
Conoracha began his descent towards Bardock, still only a mere black dot from his great distance, until something about the comparatively tiny figure made him think twice about attempting a head-on assault. He stopped and stared haphazardly from a safe proximity, vainly trying to construe just what it was about the Saiya-jin which seemed so out of place.  
  
His arm, that was it. It was extended at an odd angle, and it was...glowing?  
He was charging up some form of energy attack.  
  
"Bad strategy," Conoracha thought. "He has to realise just how weak he is. Even if he could somehow gather enough energy to kill me, he'd still have Jermotte and Malachi to deal with."  
  
Logic, it seemed, was not high on Bardock's list of priorities.   
  
"Conoracha!!", he screamed. His right hand contained a small orb of energy which had taken al his remaining strength to create. As weak as he was now, it was all he could do to keep on his feet. This was a final gambit, his last chance for survival...  
  
An inane grin crossed his face.  
  
"Y'know something?" he growled. "I've just realised that I can't beat you as I am now. You're just far too powerful."  
He laughed quietly to himself  
"But..."  
He nodded towards the orb in his hand.  
"I have a feeling that this little attack will give me the edge. You might want to surrender now."  
  
Still high in the sky, the alien folded his arms across his chest and smiled confidently. The Saiya-jin's bluff wasn't going to work on him: he was far too weak to attempt any kind of offensive. He was finished, and he knew it.  
  
Bardock gritted his teeth and drew back his arm.  
"Die!!"  
In a blindingly fast motion he launched the attack in Conoracha's direction, surprising even himself at his battered body's ability to pull off such a strenuous move. He honestly hadn't been sure if he could throw it high enough. But now, everything was going according to plan.  
  
Conoracha didn't move a muscle as the small white ball drew closer and closer; as far as he was concerned, that little piece of crap wouldn't even singe him.   
  
Curiously, he noticed that as the attack came within the remaining 10 metres between them, it seemed to veer off by a few degrees or so. Nothing too obvious, but enough to throw off it's trajectory quite significantly. The orb apparently missed it's intended target, whipping past Conoracha by a distance of several feet.  
  
He laughed harshly.  
  
"What the hell was that supposed to be? Why don't you try aiming with your eyes open next time?"  
  
Even as he finished his derogatory comment, he began to think of how unusual it was for Bardock to miss with what had obviously been his final piece of energy. Sure, he was injured, but Saiya-jins were tough bastards; it should have connected, especially since he himself hadn't made any effort whatsoever to dodge. It was almost as if he wanted to miss. Either that, or he was aiming for...something else.  
  
Conoracha's blood froze.  
  
"Oh shit."  
  
In one truly horrible instant, he realised what the attack was.  
  
He turned to Jermotte and Malachi and roared at the top of his voice.  
  
"Destroy it NOW! Don't let it reach the sky!"  
  
His two partners, however, had neither the reflexes nor the strength to intercept such a quickly moving target, and once it got past them, there were no further obstacles on it's path towards the heavens. It erupted into a flash of pure white light which made Tenshinhan's Taiyouken attack look positively puny in comparison, and Conoracha found he had to cover his eyes in order to prevent his optic nerves from being burned right out of his head.  
  
"No, no, no!! This can't be happening!!" he screamed hysterically.  
  
Far below them on the ground, Bardock simply laughed and soaked it all in. His eyes widened like twin vortexes, and gathered in as much of the light as his body would allow. After only a few seconds, the change had begun...  
  
The maddening pain of his wounds disappeared; the memory of the sensation was stricken from his mind as if it had never happened. His entire body surged with newfound power; his muscles bulged, his bones lengthened, and all complicated thoughts began to fade ever so gently, as if they were simply blown away by a gentle summer breeze. A single ominous mantra began to repeat itself over and over throughout his being: kill the enemy, make them suffer, destroy them all.  
  
His body mass began to increase dramatically, and his armour found that it had to expand to compensate for it's owner's fluctuating size. The whites of his eyes glazed over, the pupils disappeared, and they began to flash the burning red colour of death. Dark black fur sprouted all over his body, and his face began to distend and twist as the transformation reached its apex. His bones snapped and cracked with sickening intensity as his metabolism strained to keep up with all the effects of the Brute Rays his body had absorbed. Within the space of 5 seconds, his height had doubled.  
  
Conoracha simply stared in horrified disbelief. He had never seen a Saiya-jin transform before, although he had heard plenty of whispered stories and fearful tales about the soulless monsters they became during a full moon. And with Bardock's attack perfectly simulating the conditions needed for the change, it looked like he was finally going to get the chance to see one for himself.  
  
He shook himself out of his daze. What the hell was he thinking? He chastised himself. Saiya-jins were nigh on invulnerable when in their transformed stage. If he wanted to survive this fight, he would have to attack now, while the transformation was still incomplete.  
  
"Damn you, you piece of shit! I won't let you win, you hear me!?!"  
  
Conoracha mustered the strongest ki attack at his disposal and fired in down in Bardock's direction. His anger gave him a much-needed boost, increasing the power of the technique. Bardock was either unable to, or did not feel the need to dodge. The beam connected with him with a massive explosion, completely shattering the ground for several metres around. Other attacks would have damaged a much, much wider area, but Conoracha had focused the entirety of the technique's strength on one small target- Bardock, and so the damage was limited to a miniscule area around him.  
  
Conoracha panted heavily, the majority of his energy completely spent. The smoke still billowed around the epicentre of the impact point, obscuring his view of the intended target. Nonetheless, he felt sure that nothing in the entire expanse of Hell could have survived such an attack.  
  
Minutes passed, and there was no sign of either life or movement on the ground, save for the unconscious Fionn and Tenshinhan. Conoracha turned to Malachi and Jermotte with an exuberant yell of triumph.  
  
"Hey, I think I got him..."  
  
Suddenly and without warning, a massive crimson beam of energy tore it's way through the thick grey wall of smoke and headed straight for the three horrified fighters. Using all his remaining energy, Conoracha pushed himself out of it's path, avoiding the deadly assault by the merest fraction of an inch. The heat emanating form the beam was phenomenal, and he could feel his skin sizzling from only the briefest of exposure.  
  
Jermotte and Malachi were not so lucky, however. Their ki levels were far below that of Conoracha's, and as such they never even saw the beam coming. They were hovering about 20 metres away from each other, but the attack was still able to connect with them both at the same time: it was that large.  
  
As the incomprehensible energy washed over them, they barely even had time to collect their thoughts before their skin was shredded away. Blood flowed freely from their open tissues, and evaporated almost immediately in a hazy red cloud. Malachi's neck snapped from the pressure exerted on his already damaged spine, and his head was ripped from its foundations as the attack pushed them back even further. The two fighters landed in an unrecognisable mess over a mile away.  
  
Conoracha feel limply to the ground, his muscles drained of every conceivable ounce of power he had. There was no tone or strength left in his body. Breathing became a problem, as his chest became fatigued, and he realised that he was in real danger of suffocating.  
  
If he lived that long, that is.  
  
The smoke finally cleared from around the crater, revealing what had caused the deaths of Jermotte and Malachi. There Bardock stood, unscathed, and fully transformed, his burning red eyes piercing into the rotten depths of Conoracha's soul.  
  
The alien sputtered weakly, expelling a thick line of blood from his mouth. He realised that his heart was beginning to fail him.  
"Ultimate...Saiya-jin...form. Oozaru...  
He coughed again, adding to the puddle of dark blood trickling from his mouth.  
"No...way."  
  
Bardock walked forward, a low throaty growl rumbling in the back of his massive throat. This was his enemy: kill the enemy, make him suffer. When he reached the fallen fighter, he reached down and took him up in his right hand, which was now bigger than the alien's entire body. He brought him up to eye level, and bared his curved white teeth in an animalistic parody of a smile.  
  
Conoracha summoned his last ounce of strength and spat in the gigantic Oozaru's face. In his current condition, it came out a mixture of blood and saliva.  
"Fuck...you."  
  
In the blink of an eye, Bardock tightened his grip on the vanquished fighter in his hand.  
  
Conoracha exploded, his final scream echoing in Bardock's ears.  
  
The Oozaru cast the bloody remains from his hand and roared, a deafening cry which could be heard for over a hundred miles around. His enemy was dead.  
  
Nearby, Fionn stirred from the painful depths of his unconscious slumber. What the hell was that noise? He picked himself up both cautiously and painfully, then turned around to get his bearings. What he saw before him, he would remember for the rest of his life. The sight of the Oozaru, fangs bared, his hand dripping with blood, would have struck fear into the heart of even the most hardened warrior.   
  
As it was, Fionn found the armour the monster was wearing more than a little...familiar.  
  
"Bardock?", he uttered disbelievingly. "Is that you?"  
  
The Oozaru cocked it's eyebrow and stared quizzically at the Kanassa-jin before him. This was not an enemy, he was almost certain of that. He didn't want to hurt him, but...  
  
The anger kept gnawing at him; it was undeniable in this form. All traces of his original personality had been erased; he had never had enough experience in this form to be able to retain them, as certain other Saiya-jin were. His thoughts were expressed as growls, his words as roars. It was all he had as an Oozaru. That...and the anger.  
  
He roared and charged forward, then prepared to slam his fist down on top of the diminutive warrior in front of him. It was the anger which instructed him to do so.   
  
"What the..?" Fionn pushed off the ground with all the strength he could muster, barely managing to avoid the titanic strike.  
"Dammit Bardock! What the hell is wrong with you!?!", he yelled from a relatively safe position.  
  
Fionn had never seen his friend in this transformed state before, and as such he had no idea that Bardock was completely unable to control himself as an Oozaru. He didn't know that he was unable to understand him or recognize him as an Oozaru, and because of this, he made a fatal mistake. He tried to reason with him.  
  
"Calm down. The fight's over...".  
  
Bardock heard none of this, and simply did what came as instinct to him: he resumed his attack. He lashed out with his left hand, at a speed which belied his enormous size. It was the last thing Fionn had expected, and as such he had made no preparations to dodge. Everything seemed to shift into slow-motion as the huge fist drew closer and closer.  
  
Fionn found it impossible to move. The combination of his recent injuries, and the unbelievable speed of the attack had rendered him completely helpless. Luckily for him, someone tackled him from behind and pushed them both out of the monster's range: Bardock's hand crashed into the ground an instant afterwards. A massive dust cloud kicked up once again, obscuring his view of the terrain in front of him. It gave his targets a much-needed chance to retreat.  
  
As they rolled to a halt, Fionn looked around to ascertain the identity of his saviour.  
  
It was Tenshinhan, who, although awake, was obviously in worse condition than Fionn himself. He was bleeding copiously from multiple wounds scattered all across his body. Conoracha's vicious assault had taken its toll on them both.   
  
"Thanks," Fionn panted. "I never expected him to attack so quickly."  
  
"No problem," Tenshinhan replied weakly. "They aren't themselves when they're like this. Believe me, I know."  
  
Fionn jerked his thumb at the rampaging Oozaru, who was still sifting through the blinding dust cloud in an attempt to get it's bearings.  
"So, how do we stop him? Will he just change back by himself?"  
  
Tenshinhan shook his head.  
"No, not unless he's cut off from his source of energy." He pointed upwards at the light from the energy orb which Bardock had fired earlier on. "It should dissipate by itself in around 90 minutes, but I think you'll agree that we really can't afford to wait that long".  
  
Fionn nodded. "Can't we just destroy the source ourselves?"  
  
"Well, I don't know about you..." He paused and clutched his chest painfully, indicating that several of his ribs were broken. "..but I can't even summon enough energy to get to my feet at the moment, never mind fly up there and blast that orb."  
  
Fionn suddenly became aware of his own injuries. Maybe it was the shock of almost being killed by his best friend, but he hadn't noticed them up until that exact moment. Tenshinhan was right; he was in no shape to eliminate Bardock's energy source.  
  
Tenshinhan looked warily at the Oozaru from a distance. The dust was obviously bothering him, as he floundered around within the cloud, thrashing wildly in an attempt to break free from it's blinding embrace.  
"Our only chance is to escape now while he can't see us. If we get far enough away, we can just wait for the time to expire."  
  
With a great deal of effort, he picked himself up off the ground and offered his hand to Fionn.   
"Let's get moving. He won't be stuck there for long."  
  
Fionn got up, his desperation overriding the pain which wracked his body. The two then hobbled away from the direction of the crater, trying to take as much weight off their shattered legs as possible. Neither of them had the strength to fly, and he only hoped that they could get far enough away to escape Bardock's murderous intentions.  
  
Back in the crater, Bardock's rage increased tenfold. The dust was all around him, irritating his enhanced senses, obscuring his vision, disorientating him, but most importantly, it stood between him and his enemy. He roared in violent frustration, and leapt forward, not even sure what direction he was going in. He just wanted to be out of that infernal cloud.  
  
His single-minded determination paid off, as his massive body burst through the dusty curtain, and landed near the outer limits of the crater.   
  
He roared again and cast his eyes around the nearby terrain. The cloud had already been forgotten by his primitive mind: all that mattered now was his enemy, and whoever had helped him. He wanted their blood...  
  
Far off in the distance, his superbly acute senses caught sight of two small moving figures, heading away from him. That had to be them. He bared his teeth. Time to die...  
  
He opened his mouth as wide as it would go and fired a massive energy blast at the two escaping fighters. It crossed the expanse between them in the barest fraction of a second and tore open a gigantic hole in front of them, impeding their escape route.  
  
Even though it apparently missed them, Fionn and Tenshinhan could feel the incredible impact of the Oozaru's attack as it created an enormous canyon right in front of them.  
  
"Dammit! He's free!" Fionn yelled. "What do we do now?"  
  
Tenshinhan covered his eyes from the rubble kicked up from the explosion.  
"Nothing. We can't go around, and we don't have nearly enough energy to fly over. All we can do now is wait for him to get here...and hope for the best."  
  
Fionn stared in disbelief.  
"Are you crazy!? He'll just as soon kill us as look at us!"  
  
Tenshinhan didn't reply as the monster drew ever closer.  
  
The Oozaru came within several metres of them, his blood on fire from the thrill of the chase. The smell of his opponent's fear tickled his nostrils. He had purposely missed with his energy blast: he would never kill an opponent from a distance, not when he could do it up close and personal. All he had wanted to do was prevent them from escaping, so that he could get in and finish them off himself. He clenched his hands into fists and drew his arms above his head.   
  
Fionn tried to get through to him one last time.  
  
"Bardock! Don't do it! It's us! Try and remember!"  
  
If the Oozaru recognised him in any way, he gave no indication. He drew his hands back even further and prepared to bring them down on the two helpless warriors.  
  
Fionn finally gave up, and simply stood motionless, waiting for the end to come. There was no way they could survive this attack, not with their current injuries. It was hopeless.  
  
He wondered what it was like to die a second time...  
  
The ape brought his arms forward and once again, everything seemed to switch into slow motion. Tenshinhan faced his demise with a smile on his face. Fionn folded his arms and accepted it like a warrior.  
  
Suddenly, the Oozaru stopped in mid-swing, only several feet from Fionn's head. The monster stood motionless, a look of quiet surprise on his face, all hint of his murderous rage gone. The ape drew it's head back and roared, not a roar of anger, but of intense, blinding pain.  
  
"Why the hell is he tormenting us?" Fionn thought angrily to himself. "Just get it over with already..."  
  
Even over the sound of the ape's deafening cries, Tenshinhan noticed something hit the ground behind the gigantic monster. What was is, he wondered. It looked familiar, somehow...  
  
Suddenly, the realisation hit him...  
  
"His tail! Fionn, his tail's been cut off!!"  
  
Fionn stared behind Bardock, and saw that Tenshinhan indeed spoke the truth. Someone, or something, had removed Bardock's tail, which now wriggled spasmodically on the ground behind him. That was what had caused him such pain.  
  
"Yo..you're right. How the hell did that happen?"  
  
"Don't ask me. But believe me, he's not going to be very happy about it, so let's just get out of here while we have the chance".  
  
Fionn nodded and shuffled as fast as he could possibly move away from the giant ape, who had begun to thrash around in a fresh berserker rage. Stones were upturned and shattered, dust flew everywhere, and the canyon was further enlarged by his maniacal stomping. Fionn noticed that he was losing a lot of body mass, quickly, and his fur was disappearing as well. Bardock's armour shrank to compensate for the loss in muscle and bone, and his features began to revert back to their normal appearance. His eyes faded back to white, and the pupils soon began to reappear. Within the space of 10 seconds, the Oozaru was no more.  
  
When the dust cloud began to clear, a Saiya-jin warrior stood in its place- Bardock, father of Goku.   
  
Completely spent, he collapsed into an unconscious heap.  
  
Fionn and Tenshinhan also collapsed, they had endured all they could take. Panting heavily, they lay on the shattered ground, glad that the threat was finally over.  
  
A sudden thought flashed through Fionn's head and he jerked upright, causing his damaged muscles to scream in protest.  
  
"Wait," he turned to Tenshinhan. "Who the hell cut his tail off?"  
  
"That would be me". A voice boomed from an unknown location. It exuded authority, and Fionn cupped his hands by his side, ready to fire what little energy he had left at the newcomer should he prove hostile. The only problem was...he couldn't see him.  
He felt a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Wait," Tenshinhan smiled. "I recognise that ki. And, if I'm not mistaken, this is the person I wanted you to meet."  
He pointed to somewhere within the midst of the dust cloud. Fionn followed his finger, and saw a silhouetted figure walking calmly towards them.   
  
Tenshinhan continued.  
  
"You wanted to know about the limitations of the dragonballs. Well, this is probably the greatest authority in the entire afterlife on that particular subject. Isn't that right..."  
  
The dust cloud cleared, exposing the being who saved them.  
  
"...Piccolo?" 


	8. Separation Anxiety

Chapter 7: Separation Anxiety.  
  
  
  
"Ow," Bardock moaned. "My head..."  
  
He heard Fionn's voice from somewhere nearby.  
"Hey, I think he's coming around."  
  
Bardock sat up and clutched the back of his neck, still tender from his earlier battle, as were other parts of his battered body.   
  
Wait a second, where was Conoracha!?  
  
He leapt to his feet and did his best to keep from falling over. He failed miserably and ended up sprawled faced first in a crumpled heap on the ground, prompting a muffled laugh from one of his companions. From what he could determine, it was Fionn. Tenshinhan didn't really seem like the laughing type anyway.  
  
"Nice one, twinkle toes. I guess you're back to your old graceful self, eh?"  
  
Bardock grumbled. That was definitely Fionn.  
  
He rolled over uncomfortably and lay on his back, clasping his head with both hands.  
  
"What the hell happened?", he moaned. "My head's killing me, and... where are Conoracha and the other two?"  
  
"Don't worry about it. All three of them are dead. You saw to that after you transformed."  
  
Bardock sat up in surprise.  
"Transformed? When did I...?"  
  
He suddenly remembered, and groaned again.  
"Oh yeah. Tell me, did I do much damage?"  
  
Both Fionn and Tenshinhan shifted uncomfortably. Neither of them really wanted to inform Bardock that he had come very close to killing them both.  
  
"No...not really," Fionn mumbled awkwardly. He knew that Bardock really wouldn't believe that, and so he decided to change the subject as quickly as possible. He picked up several small, dark pellets which were laid out on a nearby rock.  
  
"Here, take these. They'll heal those wounds of yours in no time."  
  
Bardock stared at him intently. He knew that Fionn wasn't telling him the truth, and he had every intention of finding out why, but first things first...  
He took two of the small oval pellets and popped them into his mouth.   
A look of extreme distaste crossed his face. They tasted incredibly bitter, and were as hard as two small stones. If he wasn't careful he could easily break a tooth. Nonetheless, as soon as he had swallowed them, he noticed a sudden and dramatic change come over his body.  
All his muscles went numb, and he no longer felt the pain from his wounds. Every inch of him tingled, and he felt surprisingly...sleepy, all over again.  
  
"What the hell...was that?", he mumbled with difficulty.  
  
"Hey, don't worry. That drowsiness you're feeling is only temporary. It'll only last while your wounds are being repaired, so it should pass in a few minutes."  
  
Tenshinhan nodded in agreement. "What Fionn just gave you were two seeds from the Pitharos plant, a small vine-like shrub which grows here in Hell. It has remarkable regenerative properties when ingested, but it takes a while to get the work done. It releases a powerful anaesthetic into your body to prevent you from feeling any pain as the wounds heal, but unfortunately, one of the side effects is a temporary dulling of your senses and reflexes which resembles drowsiness. It's also been known to cause erratic behaviour in the afflicted person. Because of that, it's not something you should ever use when in the middle of a battle, but in cases like this it's fine".  
  
Bardock nodded weakly. His vision was beginning to blur, and he found it hard to keep his eyes open. He smiled inwardly.  
Maybe he should only have taken one.  
  
Fionn turned to Tenshinhan with a concerned look on his face.  
"Are you sure he's okay? It didn't affect us this badly."  
  
"He'll be fine, trust me. Maybe they just have a stronger effect on Saiya-jin physiology, but in my opinion, it's probably just because he took more than us".  
  
They both turned their attentions to Bardock once again. Sure enough, the majority of the lacerations covering his body had been sealed, leaving only the barest marks behind. The sound of his broken bones knitting themselves back together could be distinctly heard even over the rush of the river near which they had chosen to set up camp.  
Within the space of a minute, his body had completely healed itself, and the effects of the Pitharos' anaesthetic began to wear off.  
  
Bardock got to his feet and warily took a few steps, almost as if he wasn't sure that his legs would support him. He flexed his muscles and threw a few punches in mid-air, determined to see if is body was indeed back to normal.  
So far, so good.  
A wide grin cut across his face. His injuries had vanished, and the pain had completely disappeared, even in his head, which had bothered him ever since Conoracha dealt him that fantastic blow to the back of the neck.  
  
Now that he was certain that the Pitharos had done its job, he turned to Fionn, determined to tackle the issue at hand.  
  
"Now," he stated sternly. "I know full well that you're not telling me the truth about just what happened when I transformed during the battle. Even though I can never recall what I do in that form, I know you well enough to know when you're trying to hide something."  
  
Fionn returned his icy stare, determined not to be pressured into revealing any information that he believed would have a negative effect on his friend. After all, who knows how he would react once he learned that he came within a hair's breadth of killing two of his closest allies...  
  
"I know how aggressive we can be in our transformed state, how we can't distinguish friend from foe. Are you trying to tell me that after I killed Conoracha I just transformed back..?  
  
He stopped just short of finishing his sentence. A look of horror suddenly passed over Bardock's face, as if a possible reason for his reversion had just forced it's way into his addled brain. His blood seemed to freeze in his very veins, his lungs seemed to cease functioning, his mind raced as he desperately tried to convince himself that it couldn't be true. The reason for his reversion couldn't be...  
  
He looked back. And his mind descended into red hot rage.  
  
"...My tail...". He turned to Tenshinhan and Fionn with a look of pure hatred on his face.  
  
"Who cut off my tail!!??!"  
  
Both warriors were completely taken aback at Bardock's sudden change of mood. So much so that they couldn't even splutter out a single word in their defence, as they simply stared in shocked amazement as the Saiya-jin advanced on them with murderous intent in his eyes.  
  
He repeated his question, this time with no emotion whatsoever, only a monotonous, eerie whisper.  
  
"Who the fuck cut off my tail?"  
  
For several unbearably long seconds, there was nothing but pure silence. The wind died down, and even the river seemed to stop flowing, almost as it nature itself had been petrified by the sheer anger emanating from the Saiya-jin.  
  
Then...  
  
"I did".  
  
Bardock twisted his head to try and catch a glimpse of the fool who had just signed his death warrant. In the dim light, it took him a while to focus on any one point, but he eventually caught sight of a cloaked figure sitting near the fire which marked the centre of the makeshift camp.  
  
He was sitting cross-legged by the slowly burning embers, his face highlighted intermittently by the dancing lights which the fire cast off. Even while he sat, Bardock could tell that he was extremely tall, and his shoulders seemed inhumanly wide. No, not his shoulders, he thought. He was wearing something, some form of mantle. That was it.  
Anyway, it didn't matter one bit to him what he was wearing. He was still going to die.  
  
Bardock roared and flew towards him, his faced contorted in an insane grimace, his fist cocked back to deal the killing blow.  
A bestial scream escaped his lips.  
  
In a movement which was too fast for the Saiya-jin to follow, the cloaked figure suddenly moved from his seated position beside the fire, to a standing position right in his path. It was enough to severely shake Bardock's concentration.  
  
In the slit fraction of a microsecond it took him to regain his focus on his target, he remembered thinking..  
"Impossible, there's no way he could be that fast."  
  
Then a vice seemed to fasten itself around his throat. For a moment he thought the impact would take his head off. It was like he ran into a steel wall. He couldn't move, he couldn't even breathe.   
  
It was unbearable.  
  
Even through his shock and overwhelming rage, he suddenly realised that the cloaked figure had moved yet again and had intercepted him in mid-flight: it was he who now held him by the throat. And now that he was literally standing at arm's length, Bardock was finally able to see who it was that had caused his reversion...  
  
It was a Namek, and an unusual one at that. His eyes were cold and nard, his brow furrowed in an unforgiving frown. His long white cape whipped majestically around him, and the incredible power he was exerting as he gripped Bardock's neck unmercifully apparently posed no effort to him whatsoever. Were it not for the fact that he had moved only seconds beforehand, the silent warrior could well have been a statue.  
  
Struggling fitfully, Bardock launched a vicious punch at the Namek's jaw. From past experience, he knew that the Namekian jawbone was easily dislocated, so that was where he aimed his assault. His fist connected with the side of the Namek's face with a resounding crack.  
  
He didn't flinch.  
  
Nearby, Fionn moved forward to intervene before things turned nasty, but Tenshinhan's arm shot out and held him back. Fionn jerked around as if to demand an explanation for the obstruction.  
Tenshinhan simply shook his head.  
  
Bardock quickly withdrew his hand and grabbed the Namek's wrist, desperately trying to twist himself free of his iron hold. To no avail, however, as he soon discovered that his own strength was no match for his unyielding opponent.  
  
He ceased his struggling and stared him straight in the eye, then opened his mouth and attempted to say something. The Namek's grip made it difficult to speak, and as such his mouth worked soundlessly for a moment, then it twisted and a strange gagging sound came out.  
His face contorted and turned red with rage. His eyes grew wide and veins bulged visibly on his forehead. Finally, the words came out in a gurgling croak...  
  
"You...bastard...How...dare...you...!?"  
  
The Namek's face held it's nightmarish stare, and he broke his silence for the first time since the scuffle had began. His grip on Bardock's throat grew even tighter, if such a thing was possible.  
  
"You lost your tail. If you ever talk to me like that again you'll lose something else, got it?"  
  
With a minimum of effort, he lowered Bardock so that his feet were touching the ground, but maintained the hold on his neck.  
  
"Look me in the eye," he continued, "and tell me you don't believe I'll lay you down like a dog if you decide to continue this little fracas."  
  
He released his throat.  
  
Bardock hit the ground, his decidedly unpleasant mood already fading fast. Quickly gathering his bearings, he faced the Namek defiantly, more by way of attempting to regain lost pride than anything else. There was no way he was going to attack him again. After several long minutes, he turned around and sat down beside the dwindling fire.  
  
From a distance, Fionn leaned over to Tenshinhan and whispered...  
  
"Uh, would you care to explain what the hell just happened? A moment ago Bardock was trying to kill him, and now he's taking orders?"  
  
Tenshinhan smiled.  
"Well, Piccolo can be quite...persuasive...at times. But honestly, I'd say he's just suffering the after effects of eating the Pitharos. It can drastically affect personality and behaviour for a short while after ingestion, so it's probably what caused this sudden increase in aggression. I held you back because I knew that Piccolo wouldn't seriously harm him, and that he would be able to restrain him until the effects wore off."  
  
Fionn nodded in acknowledgment.  
  
"So, he's back to normal now?"  
  
"Well, I wouldn't go near him for a while yet. It does seem to affect Saiya-jins worse than other species, so just play it safe and don't do anything which would set him off again."  
  
Tenshinhan turned and beckoned for Fionn to follow him.  
  
"Let's just let Piccolo deal with him for the time being."  
  
Fionn silently agreed, and the two warriors picked themselves up and left the halting site, quickly vanishing into the surrounding darkness. They would return when Piccolo's tale had been told...  
  
Back at the fire, the Namek approached the Saiya-jin, who sat with his head in his hands, his body wracked with silent convulsions. The Pitharos were still having an adverse affect on his system.  
  
Piccolo sat at the opposite end of the fire, draped his long white cloak around him, and removed the ornate turban which adorned his head.  
  
"You alright?", were the first words out of his mouth.  
  
Across the smouldering embers, Bardock nodded his head with apparent difficulty. Piccolo didn't believe for a second that he was in good condition at the moment, but he knew from personal experience that Saiya-jin rarely revealed a physical weakness. Out of respect for the man who had fathered one of his best friends, he didn't press the matter.  
  
"That's withdrawal you're currently undergoing. It'll be over in a few minutes, so bear with me, Bardock. Tenshinhan already told me why you're here. In that case, I suggest you listen well to what I have to say..."  
  
He crossed his arms across his chest.  
  
"I want to tell you a story about your son..." 


	9. Piccolo's Tale

Chapter 8: Piccolo's Tale.  
  
"I hated him. I truly did. He was the absolute bane of my existence, like a festering wound that gnawed at my body and soul. His death was the only thing I ever thought about. His death, and how to make it as painful as physically possible."  
  
Bardock's face, enshrouded in shadow, stared emotionlessly at the source of this somewhat unusual statement from across the flickering fire. Piccolo, the enigmatic being who they had travelled to Hell to find, had begun to relate his story...  
  
"Our first fight was at the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, a martial arts tournament held on the planet Earth. The battle...it was truly a thing of beauty. Though battered and beaten, neither of us would relinquish the victory, and we continued to fight even though it took an immense strain on both our bodies. Eventually, Son won the match, and my hatred for him increased tenfold."  
  
Bardock sighed in quiet frustration. This was not what he wanted to hear...  
"So tell me Piccolo, at what point exactly did you stop trying to kill my son, and when are you going to get to the part where you let me know what has happened to him?"  
  
"All in good time," came the harsh reply. "First of all, I would have thought that since you've suddenly decided to find Goku you might be interested in hearing about the life he led on Earth."  
  
Bardock snorted and waved him to continue.  
"I suppose you're right. Go on.."  
  
Piccolo resettled himself.  
"As for why I no longer bear him any malice, well, you could say that a long time ago I achieved a form of...closure."  
  
"Really? What did you do, exactly?"  
  
"I killed him."  
  
For several moments, there was silence at the fireside.  
  
Bardock suddenly remembered the vision he had been stricken with only a few hours beforehand, while he had been unconscious during his fight with Conoracha. The vision which had showed Kakarotto and Raditzu being slaughtered by a Namek.   
  
A Namek which, he now realised, was sitting right in front of him...  
  
"You...killed both of them, didn't you? Kakarotto and Raditzu."  
  
Bardock could not see Piccolo's face, but he imagined that it must be crossed with a look of extreme surprise. He could, however, hear him mumbling something incomprehensible. He could only make out one word in the entire sentence.   
  
That word was..."sorry".  
  
Eventually, the Namek raised his voice once again...  
  
"Yes, I killed them both. At the time, I thought I was simply killing two birds with one stone. I got rid of the immediate threat to the planet Earth, and I finally managed to fulfil Daimou's final request. I eviscerated Goku, and took great pleasure in doing it."  
  
"Ah, yes", Bardock raised two fingers to touch his forehead. "With, what did you call it again? Makankosappo?"  
  
At this point, Piccolo began to feel distinctly uncomfortable. Bardock knew far too much about what had happened for his liking, and he was taking it all very well considering that he was within a few metres of the person who had murdered his only sons. Maybe he was still reeling from the after effects of the Pitharos?  
He decided to continue as if he had never heard that last comment.  
  
"But, as I saw him lying there, with a hearty smile on his lifeless face, I realised that this is not what I had been waiting for all those long years. He had willingly sacrificed his life because he knew that it would guarantee the safety of his friends. Then I began to train Gohan, and the whole idea of hating him gradually faded away in the face of the impending threat."  
  
"What threat?"  
  
"Nappa and Vegita. Two Saiya-jin like yourself. They had set out on a journey to Earth as soon as Raditzu was killed."  
  
Bardock tossed his head back and laughed bitterly.  
Vegita? That cocky little shit? He had survived the destruction of Vegita-Sei? Not surprising really. He was always Freezer's little pet...  
  
"And what did his royal highness want on Earth, may I ask?"  
  
Piccolo looked up in interest. Bardock, apparently, was not very fond of Vegita. Not that he could really blame him for that...  
  
"As Raditzu was dying, I revealed the secret of the dragonballs of Earth to him, and that information was relayed to Vegita and Nappa though his scouter. As soon as Vegita heard that the dragonballs could grant any wish the user made, he was practically on his way to Earth before I finished the damn sentence."  
  
Bardock ceased his chuckling, seemingly content to continue the conversation with a bemused smile on his face.  
  
"Finally, we get to the point. These dragonballs that you and Tenshinhan mentioned, I want to find out if they can be used to wish Kakarotto back from wherever he disappeared to."  
  
Piccolo lowered his head and shook it slowly.  
  
"Not a chance. Tenshinhan never found out, but I know that nothing on any plane of existence can wish Goku back from where he is now."  
  
"Really?" Bardock leaned forward. "So tell me Namek, where is he?"  
  
Piccolo looked up, the fire reflecting in his dark eyes.  
  
"A place you and I can't even begin to imagine. He is...with the gods now."  
  
Bardock was beginning to get annoyed.  
  
"So he's dead then?"  
  
"No. But he isn't alive either."  
  
Bardock felt like leaping to his feet and strangling the Namek. But then again, that hadn't worked very well the last time he tried it...  
  
Through gritted teeth, he asked...  
"And what exactly does that mean?"  
  
Piccolo drew in a long, hard breath, and continued.  
  
"Several decades ago, Son appeared before me here in Hell. At first, I thought he had died again, but that didn't explain why he had been sent down here. It took me a few moments to realise the true purpose of his visit. He was here to say goodbye."  
  
Bardock cocked an eyebrow with interest.  
  
"Really?"  
  
Piccolo nodded dolefully.  
  
"He said he would never forget the times we had together, and then...he left."  
  
"What do you mean he just left? Where did he go?"  
  
Piccolo frowned. It must have been a nervous habit with him.  
"At that point in time, there had been a great conflict on the planet Earth. The Terran dragonballs had been infected with a dark energy which had built up every time negative wishes had been made over the years- an energy which gave birth to several sentient beings, the Evil Shenlongs. These were creatures of magic, each of a dragonball, and even though Goku managed to defeat them, he knew that if such energy ever built up in the balls again after he was dead, then no one in the living world would have the necessary strength to defeat the dragons."  
  
He smiled.  
"Son, as always, was unprepared to let that happen, and so he made the ultimate sacrifice for the people of the living world. He gave up his own life energy to heal the infected dragonballs, thus ensuring such evil would never be created again."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Bardock growled. "If he gave up his life energy, that means he's dead, which means he should be here in the afterlife."  
  
"No. Not at all. What you don't seem to understand is that the dragonballs are an existence upon themselves, their own reality, their own universe. The world of dragons. Of magic. When Goku gave of himself to heal them, he became part of that universe. Do you understand what I'm saying here...?"  
  
A look of shocked realisation dawned on the Saiya-jin's face.  
  
"You see?", the Namek pressed on. "Goku and the dragonballs...until his energy is able to repair the damage all the negativity has caused, they will be one and the same. One single entity. One universe. One being."  
  
He paused.  
  
"And that is why no one has ever been able to sense him in either the living world or the afterlife. He is in neither, yet in both and the same time. He is everywhere, and he will only return when the dragonballs have healed themselves. As far as we are concerned, he no longer exists in this reality."  
  
He paused once again and sat back triumphantly.  
  
"But..."  
  
He smiled.  
  
"But, that doesn't mean that you can't find him. That we can't find him."  
  
Bardock leaned forward, and in a voice barely above a hushed whisper, said...  
  
"What?"  
  
"Look here." Piccolo leaned forward to meet him, with a look of unappreciated genius in his eyes. "At present, there is only one thing which links Son to this plane of reality. The one thing which took him from it in the first place."  
  
"The dragonballs?", Bardock ventured.  
  
"Exactly!", Piccolo whispered. "Find those, you find him. When they are reborn, so will he. Believe me, you've been searching for the wrong thing."  
  
Bardock leaned back, desperately trying to process this new information. All he had to do was find these dragonballs, and that was it? Perhaps he could help Kakarotto to heal them; perhaps he could speed up the process? Either way, by finding them he had found his son. He could not resist asking the all-important question...  
  
"Where are they?"  
  
"Ah", Piccolo smiled, gesticulating calmly with his hands. "Luckily for us, that's the easy part. See, the dragonballs of Earth are currently undergoing a regenerative period in order to rid themselves of all their negative energy, much like the 1 year rest they usually take after granting a wish."  
  
Bardock frowned in confusion. He failed to see how that was relevant to their location.  
  
"And, when the balls are in their regenerative states, their link with the being who created them is heightened to an incredible degree, much more so than when they're active. They have even been known to follow their creators across entire galaxies during this stage. For instance, once, when the Namekian dragonballs became dormant after granting their 3 wishes, they followed Saichorou all the way to the planet Earth."  
  
Bardock was finally beginning to understand...  
"So, you're saying that the dragonballs are with their creator? But I thought that was you?"  
  
"Not me. My link with the Terran dragonballs was broken a long time ago. The planet has a new Kamisama now; a Namek by the name of Dende."  
  
"Very well. So the dragonballs are with him on Earth?"  
  
Piccolo shook his head once again.  
  
"No. Dende is no longer on that planet. And neither are the dragonballs."  
  
"Where then?"  
  
Piccolo got to his feet and beckoned for Bardock to join him. He did so, and, in the far distance, he could see Tenshinhan and Fionn returning to the camp. He caught Piccolo's eye and pressed him for the answer.  
  
"Isn't it obvious?", asked the Namek. "He's gone home. Don't you see? We don't have to go to Earth to find the dragonballs. We have to go to Namek..." 


	10. The Demon King Consents

Chapter 9: The Demon King Consents.  
  
Silence, pure and simple, was all that echoed throughout the darkened interior of the Check-In station. Usually full of a steady line of recently departed souls waiting to be judged by the Lord of the afterlife, the station was presently the very model of tranquillity. Times such as this were unbelievably rare, so much so that they only occurred once every few centuries or so. After all, the odds that not a single being in the entire known universe had recently died were too small to even warrant calculation. Nonetheless, miracles did happen, and it had become increasingly clear that such an event had just transpired.  
  
Enma-Daiou treasured such peaceful occasions. From past experience, he knew fine well that they did not last, and he had learned to make the most of these minor intervals. He casually leaned back in his brobdignian chair and sighed long and hard, stretching his massive limbs in order to relieve the accumulated tension. It was times like this which made it all worthwhile. Unfortunately for him, they never lasted that long...  
  
Four beings suddenly appeared in the centre of the station, in the area where the expectant soul usually waited to be assigned an area of the afterlife. They reintegrated in a flurry of movement, causing Enma Daiou to jerk upwards in his chair in a panic. Such an unexpected intrusion startled him. After all, no one ever entered the station without being admitted by one of the ogres which assisted him, and they were always announced beforehand. These four had obviously entered without permission. His unrequited anxiety, however, was soon assuaged when he recognized the erstwhile intruders...  
  
"Piccolo!", he spluttered angrily. "What are you doing here!? You're supposed to be keeping watch down in Hell!"  
  
The Namek slowly withdrew his hand from Tenshinhan's shoulder, and moved away from his companion, as did the other two members of their group. They had to make physical contact with Tenshinhan in order for the Shunkan Idou technique to transport them all. Unless there was tactile contact with the person performing the manoeuvre, they would not have been assimilated into the move, and would have been left behind while Tenshinhan moved onwards to wherever he had thought of. Simple enough, really.  
  
"I've come to ask a favour of you, Enma," Piccolo coolly stated. "I trust you'll grant my request considering the role I've taken in Hell since I've arrived".  
  
Enma Daiou was seemingly unable to reply for several moments, as he stared in disbelief at the unlikely group of long-dead fighters before him. He recognised the Saiya-jin and the Kanass he had met with only days before, as well as the human Tenshinhan, a fighter from the planet Earth. Then there was Piccolo, a Namek-sei-jin who he was more than familiar with. It was a fellowship he had never thought possible, that was for sure...  
  
He cleared his throat.  
  
"How, may I ask, did you manage to leave the confines of Hell?"  
  
Piccolo smiled.  
  
"Tenshinhan's Shunkan Idou. It can penetrate any barrier, no matter how powerful."   
  
Enma Daiou's furrowed brow momentarily relaxed.  
  
"I see. For a moment there I was worried that there might be a tear in the Gateless Barrier. I don't have to tell you that the prospect of all those damned beings escaping is not a pleasant one."  
  
He slouched back in his chair and continued.  
  
"You know, you could have just asked me if you wanted to leave. You aren't trapped there, remember? Even though it makes my job a lot easier, I wouldn't mind if you wanted to leave."  
  
Several metres behind Piccolo, Bardock leaned over and whispered to Tenshinhan...  
  
"What's he talking about? I thought the Namek was assigned to Hell when he was first judged."  
  
Tenshinhan leaned over and whispered back.  
  
"No, not Piccolo. He was originally assigned to the normal region of the afterlife, but a while after he was judged, Goku was tricked into going to Hell by some enemy on Earth. Piccolo simply caused chaos in order to be sent down there, then he and Dende created a portal to send him back to Earth. It's some kind of Namekian technique, from what I understand of it. Anyway, after that, Piccolo just decided to stay behind in Hell and keep the peace. They're all afraid of him down there, anyways..."  
  
Bardock remembered how easily the Namek had held him at bay when he had attempted to attack him.  
  
"That, I believe."  
  
He turned his attention back to the ongoing conversation between Piccolo and Enma Daiou.  
  
"Anyway, what's this favour you wanted to ask?" Nothing too spectacular, I hope? After all, my power up here isn't absolute".  
  
"Nothing much". Piccolo folded his arms. "I just want to return to the living world for a short while. I need these 3 to come with me as well."  
  
Enma Daiou nearly choked.  
  
"Are you insane!?", he blustered, remonstrating wildly with his hands. "There's no way I an authorise something like that, especially not for four individual beings!"  
  
"Come now", Piccolo calmly continued. "I think that neither the Kaio's or anyone higher in the hierarchy would object, especially considering all the work I've done since I arrived."  
  
Enma Daiou looked like he was on the verge of suffering a major coronary, if such a thing was possible.  
  
"Maybe so, and I know that certain people have been allowed to return to the living world in the past, but if the right people knew that you were even asking me that question, they'd have my head!"  
  
"Look." Piccolo stated. "You know fine well that I could return without your permission if I wanted. Goku was able to teleport between both planes with his Shunkan Idou, so I'm sure that Tenshinhan could manage it as well. I'm only here out of respect for your position in the hierarchy up here. If anyone asks, just remind them that Hell would have erupted in countless minor rebellions in the past few decades if it weren't for my intervention. As influential as the Kaio's are, they don't have nearly enough power to control the majority of the beings in Hell, so I'd like to see how they'd manage if I ever, say, decided to leave."  
  
Enma Daiou couldn't help but smile.  
  
"You crafty old son of a bitch. I never thought I'd see the day when someone would have the tenacity to blackmail the Kaio's, but I suppose if anyone was going to do it, it'd be you".  
  
Piccolo bared his fangs in a toothy grin.  
  
"Exactly. If it really comes down to it, just say that you had no idea that I left. I'll take full responsibility. These three will as well, I'm sure."  
  
He looked back at Bardock, Fionn and Tenshinhan. All three nodded in unison.  
  
"It's settled", the Namek growled. "So, if it's all right with you, we'll be on our way. We shouldn't be more than 24 hours. Hopefully, no one will even notice that we've gone".  
  
Enma thoughtfully stroked his beard, then gave his answer, in a booming voice which echoed through the relatively small interior of the station.   
  
"Very well." He reached over and grasped his gavel, then brought it down with a deafening crash at the front of his desk. "I hereby grant you permission to return to the living world for a duration of 24 hours. Your movements are limited to the Northern Galaxy and the various solar systems within."  
  
He paused and added.  
  
"Good luck...old friend..."  
  
Piccolo nodded in acknowledgment, then turned and paced back to Bardock, Fionn and Tenshinhan. Tenshinhan raised his right hand and placed two fingers on his forehead. Everyone quickly placed a hand on one of his shoulders.  
  
"Try and search for Dende's ki level on the surface of the planet, first of all," Piccolo advised. "Then use it as a locater for the transport."  
  
Tenshinhan nodded.  
  
"You should know that I can't guarantee we'll reappear right beside him. I haven't acquired that much control over the Shunkan Idou just yet, but I'm almost certain that we'll arrive on the same planet as him".  
  
"No problem". Piccolo reassured him. "Just get us there in one piece".  
  
Tenshinhan smiled, then returned to searching the vastness of the cosmos for the single ki level he was looking for. It was an arduous process, and he had never understood how Goku had made it look so easy, but he eventually found his target- a Namekian ki that he had become familiar with during his years living on Earth.  
  
In another sudden flurry of motion, the group of four warriors disappeared from the Check-In station... 


	11. The Planet of Hope

Chapter 10: The Planet of Hope.  
  
Namek-Sei was a perfect example of the word paradisiacal. Unspoilt fertile plains stretched as far as the eye could see, randomly dotted with undulating, gently-sloping hills. The planet was constantly bathed in the golden light of one of its multiple suns, meaning that night was a phenomenon all but unknown to it's native inhabitants- the relatively pacifistic Namekian race. Although they possessed strength significantly greater than the average members of other races, they seemed content to live out their lives as farmers, cultivating the land they loved.  
  
The idyllic world gave no indication of the fate suffered by it's predecessor- destroyed by the tyrant Freezer, whose overwhelming fear of defeat led him to annihilate the planet, under the erroneous belief that it would lead to the demise of the Saiya-jin Son Goku. In the end, it really had no effect on the outcome of their battle. It was truly a case of survival of the fittest: Goku triumphed, while Freezer was left to rot in the empty vacuum of space. A truly ironic outcome...  
  
Both the planet Namek and its people had apparently completely recovered from their ordeal at the hands of Freezer, for neither the planet nor the species showed any remnants of the tyrant's brief but memorable occupation. The dragonballs had restored them both, wiping any and all traces of Freezer's sick influence from the emerald sphere. Now and for evermore, this was Piccolo's homeworld, the world which had given him life, and now, it was hoped, the world which would give Goku life as well...  
  
Bardock, Piccolo, Tenshinhan and Fionn materialised on top of one such undulating hill, kicking up a cloud of dust as their four bodies occupied a previously empty space. For someone who was not accustomed to travelling by such an unorthodox method, it took several seconds to recover from the reintegration process. Bardock and Fionn were two such people and, after much ungainly coughing and spluttering, they managed to focus their senses on the surrounding territory...  
  
Bardock didn't attempt to hide his confusion. He had expected to reappear directly beside this Dende person, or at least in the middle of some kind of Namekian settlement. As it was, it turned out that they were standing on top of a hill, near a large lake, with no discernible signs of civilisation anywhere nearby...  
  
He scratched the back of his head.  
  
"Uh, don't take this the wrong way, but where the hell are we?"  
  
Tenshinhan looked around, apparently as confused as Bardock was.  
  
"I...don't know. Like I said before, I haven't acquired that much control over the Shunkan Idou yet. From the looks of things, we got the right planet, but it could take us a while to find Dende's exact location."  
  
"Wonderful..." Bardock muttered grumpily.  
"Piccolo, this is your planet. Do you have any idea where the nearest settlement might be?"  
  
When he received no reply after several seconds, he turned around and asked again.  
  
"Piccolo...?"  
  
Much to his surprise, the Namek appeared to be entranced with their newfound surroundings, as he stared blankly into space, giving no hint of acknowledgment of his comrades' presence. Bardock found this to be completely out of character considering the experience he had had with the Namek so far. He had thought he was made of sterner stuff than this, but now, here he was, going all to pieces over a visit to his home planet. Bardock angrily shook this train of thought out of his head. After all, who was he to judge the Namek for reacting slightly nostalgic? Who was to say that he himself wouldn't act the same way if he was ever given the chance to visit Vegita-Sei again, if it were somehow restored to the way it had been during it's glory days?  
  
He tapped Piccolo on the back.  
  
"C'mon. Neither me nor Fionn know Dende's ki, so we won't recognize it even if we manage to sense it. It's up to you and Tenshinhan to find the place we're looking for."  
  
Piccolo took another moment to take in the scenery around them, the turned to face the group since again. The last time he had been here, it was under less accommodating circumstances, as he had been forced into a pitched battle with Freezer in order to save the lives of Gohan and Kuririn, never mind the planet itself. Vegita was there as well, but, at that particular point in time, he honestly couldn't have cared less about him. All in all, he was probably only on the planet for a few hours, and a lot of that time had been spent nearly bleeding to death on the floor of a Capsule Corporation spacecraft. Now, for the first time since he could remember, he felt like he had finally...come home. It was something that gave him a strange feeling of...pride, deep within the depths of his soul. With a confident smile on his face, he spoke for the first time since they had arrived...  
  
"Don't worry. I've already located him. His ki has changed quite a bit since I saw him last, but the basic essence is still there. Let's head in..." He pointed directly ahead of himself. "...that direction. It's only a few miles away."  
  
Bardock, Fionn and Tenshinhan nodded soundlessly, and took off almost simultaneously, powering forward at an incredible speed. At this rate, it would take them less than a minute to reach their intended destination. Bardock was silently thankful; after all, Namek was a massive planet, and he didn't really feel like flying around aimlessly trying vainly to locate a single being on its vast surface.  
  
Sure enough, within half a minute of taking flight, Bardock could spot traces of settlement off in the distance, and, as fast as they were moving, they were almost on top of it as soon as it appeared on the horizon.   
  
Bardock stopped and stared down at the Namek village below them. It was virtually indistinguishable from any other such settlement on the planet, since the Namekian race had absolutely no cultural diversity to speak of. Even the layout of the villages were the same- multiple metallic huts, usually in pairs of two, with their trademark spikes jutting outwards from the surface. Bardock noted that Nameks tended to have a preoccupation with spikes when it came to engineering and architecture. Their huts, spaceships, even the mountains seemed to be bristling with the large appendages. For defence, perhaps? He could see no other logical reason.  
  
The village bustled with life, as children ran from place to place, mature Nameks strolled casually around the makeshift dwellings, and farmers tended to the seemingly endless rows of vegetation which surrounded the village. These small plants, the Ajisa plants, were the only species of flora which were cultivated by the Nameks. Again, he could see absolutely no logical reason for this, considering that Nameks didn't need any source of food to survive on- all their unique physiologies required was water. Maybe they had some kind of religious significance. Hell, for all he knew, the Nameks just needed something to occupy their time and had taken up gardening...  
  
He shook his head. This was an old habit from his days as a warrior under Freezer's command. Whenever he arrived on a new planet, he had always tried to make as many observations as possible in the shortest amount of time. Over the years, he had found it useful when it came to determining weaknesses in the planet's infrastructure, or it's people, for that matter. It was habit that had served him well, and, to his everlasting annoyance, one he had never been able to grow out of. The last thing he wanted was to be reminded of just how well he and the rest of the Saiya-jin had served Freezer, and utilising any of his old tricks only served to dredge up all those old memories once again.  
  
He turned to Piccolo.  
  
"So, which one is he?" he inquired, gesturing down at the numerous Nameks below who, so far, had not noticed the four visitors hovering not too far above their heads. "All you Nameks look alike to me..."  
  
Piccolo smirked. "That's funny. You Saiya-jin all look alike to me as well." He cast his view downwards in order to get a better view of the village. After a minute or so, he replied...  
  
"It doesn't look like he's outside, but that's hardly surprising. The Senior Elder rarely leaves his hut."  
  
"Actually", Fionn mused. "That's something I've been meaning to ask you for a while now. If Dende is indeed the Kamisama of the planet Earth, how can he be the Senior Elder of Namek as well? I would have thought that someone could only function as Kamisama if they were on the actual planet they watched over."  
  
"Well....", Piccolo replied, without taking his view off the village below. "That's something you're just going to have to ask Dende when we meet him." He paused, then pointed at a large hut at the northern most point of the village.  
"That's where he'll be..."  
  
Without a word, all four of them dropped out of the sky and landed deftly in front of the dwelling which Piccolo had indicated. Within seconds of their descent, the entire village had noticed them, and several large warriors had thrown themselves in front of the doorway to the hut in a desperate attempt to block the entrance, while the remainder of the adult population gathered around them with angry grimaces on their usually peaceful faces. From what Bardock could see, the Nameks were extremely protective of their Senior Elder, to the extent that it seemed they were willing to die for him. If he had still been working for Freezer, Bardock knew who his first hostage would have been should he ever have attempted to commandeer this planet...  
  
"Stand aside.", Piccolo commanded, in a voice which boomed through the entire village.  
  
The Nameks, to their credit, didn't budge.  
  
"I'm here to see Dende", Piccolo continued. It was clear that he did not want to harm any of his own people unless it became absolutely unavoidable.  
"Tell him that Piccolo would like to request an audience with him".  
  
For several moments, no one moved, and it seemed like the four dead warriors would have to fight their way past the entire village. Luckily for the Nameks, one of them took it upon himself to enter the hut and carry out Piccolo's request.  
  
Voices could be heard emanating from the hut, although the exact words could not be interpreted. The crowd momentarily diverted their attention from the intruders in an attempt to better discover what was happening.  
  
The lone Namek reappeared a minute later, his face ashen, and his voice hoarse.  
  
"The Elder...will see you," he mumbled in disbelief.  
  
An angry murmur passed through the crowd. Why had the Elder granted these intruders an audience? Would he be safe once they entered the hut?  
  
Indecisiveness ran rampant, as many members of the crowd were unsure as to whether or not they should let them pass, regardless of what the Elder had said.   
  
Piccolo repeated himself.  
"Stand aside."  
  
This time, it seemed, Piccolo's sheer authoritative nature, coupled with the Elder's command, persuaded the Nameks to part from around the door to the dwelling, seemingly content to grant the Elder's wish.   
  
Angry eyes followed the four intruders as they walked silently forward and disappeared into the welcoming darkness of the hut... 


	12. Twilight of the Gods

Chapter 11: Twilight of the Gods  
  
For those who knew him in his prime it was...unexpected, certainly. For those who had never before laid eyes on him, it was nothing short of ludicrous.  
  
As Bardock and Fionn stepped forward into the murky recesses of the hut, a vague outline of the Namekian Elder began to form in front of their eyes. They had been expecting someone a bit more imposing to greet them, especially considering that the Senior Elder was the most respected and well-worn of the entire race.  
  
Well-worn, without a doubt.  
  
The Elder, whose face and, indeed, his frame, was still hidden from view, beckoned awkwardly to his aide, a young Namek standing steadfastly beside his enormous chair. The Namek responded instantly, as if the order had been given by the original Saichorou himself. He rushed soundlessly towards a nearby window and lifted aside the small plate of metallic material which covered it. Light flooded the interior of the hut, illuminating the faces of the six beings present.  
  
As Bardock and Fionn finally caught glimpse of the long-awaited Dende, supposedly the creature destined to end their quest, they could not prevent themselves from undergoing a sharp intake of breath.  
  
He was nothing short of...ancient.   
  
His skin, which no longer shone with the usual lustre of an adult Namek, was wrinkled and pale. His visage was both unfocused and unsteady, as his body shook with the labours of age. Even his hands clung desperately to his long wooden staff, a piece of distorted wood which seemed as frail as its owner.   
  
Yet, behind the misleading façade, none of the huts' occupants could miss the glint of awareness and intelligence which shone from the eyes of the enfeebled Namek.  
  
A smile crossed his timeworn lips.  
  
"Piccolo...?" he wheezed, in a voice which sounded like an incomprehensible whisper. "It can't be you..."  
  
A long silence betrayed the unspoken dialogue between these two old friends. As they stared at each other, both felt an undeniable longing for times long past, when both of them were young and well, and the possibilities of the universe were limitless.  
  
"It is me, Dende", Piccolo eventually replied. "It's good to see you again."  
  
With that, he walked forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, perhaps leaning harder than he had intended.  
  
"Heh, be careful," Dende spluttered. "This old body isn't as strong as it used to be. I bruise rather easily these days, I'm afraid."  
  
Piccolo withdrew immediately, and Bardock would have sworn that he distinctly saw a brief look of...fear on his face.  
  
The Namek bowed his head slightly.  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't realise."  
  
Dende laboriously raised a hand, then did his best to give a nonchalant wave.  
  
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."  
  
He looked past Piccolo at his 3 comrades. One he recognised, one was unfamiliar, but the other one...  
Even through his blurred vision, there was something undeniably familiar about the warrior with the Saiya-jin ki.  
  
He extended a gnarled digit and pointed it in his direction.  
  
"You," he muttered. "Possess a countenance well known to these eyes. Or is old age playing tricks with my mind?"  
  
He spluttered forth a debilitated laugh.  
  
"I daresay that you are a member of the Son bloodline. The image bears some similarity. Is this why Piccolo has brought you before me? Am I staring at Goku's great-grandson?"  
  
"Wrong direction," Bardock stated coolly. "You're staring at his father."  
  
"Interesting indeed." Dende clasped his hands. "More interesting is the fact that you were allowed to return from the afterlife and seek my counsel, but well, for the moment at least, that is not important. Tell me, what is it that you have come to ask...?"  
  
"Simple question, really." Bardock stated confidently. "Piccolo here tells me that the Terran dragonballs have followed you here to Namek in order to undergo their regeneration period. I'd like you to tell me exactly where they all are."  
  
"I thought as much," said Dende. "I am well aware of the sacrifice that was made, and believe me, it is greatly appreciated. Were it not for your offspring, the Terran dragonballs would have been lost forever in the sands of time. I never got the opportunity to thank him, and I know fine well that I will not live to see the day when he returned, some 50 years from this point in time."  
  
"50 years?" all four uttered almost simultaneously.  
  
"You can't be serious..." Bardock growled. "They're only supposed to take a year".  
  
"Indeed they are, but even you must realise that they were being distorted, poisoned, if you will, by an immensely powerful force," Dende said. "One does not recover from such interference in a single year. In fact, were it not for the fact that Goku donated his life energy towards the process, it is more than likely that they would never have recovered. The negative energy that had built up within them had taken on a life of it's own, and it will not allow itself to be vanquished all that easily."  
  
"You mean the Evil Shenlongs..." Bardock muttered.  
  
"I do indeed. An almighty Genki Dama destroyed their corporeal bodies, their sole lifeline to the physical world, but within the balls their power is much greater than it ever was in this world. Even Goku, most powerful of all warriors to ever inhabit our macrocosm, cannot overcome them in any short amount of time. A century was the time given by Shenlong as his estimate, and that is all we have to go by. We cannot speed up, slow down, or affect this time in any way. All we can do is be there when it has run it's course."  
  
"Have you been listening to me?" Bardock said in exasperation. "That's the whole point of why we're here, and all we need now is for you to tell us where the dragonballs are. I'm sure we can find them within 50 years. This planet's not that big..."  
  
"Oh," Dende underwent a sharp intake of breath, followed by a look of genuine surprise. "You think they're here?"  
  
Bardock frowned. Damn senile old Namek was beginning to annoy him...  
  
"Piccolo said that they follow you wherever you go when they're regenerating," he uttered through gritted teeth. "And in case you haven't noticed, you're here..."  
  
"Oh indeed, indeed." Dende leaned back and clapped his hands together. "That is the case when normal regeneration is concerned, but as I have expressly stated, this is not normal regeneration. Or have you not been listening, father of Goku...?"  
  
"Apparently not," he spat angrily.  
  
"Oh how simple the minds of Saiya-jin are. Magnificent fighters, but when it comes to thinking..." He shook himself out of his doddering rant.  
"You see, my friends. Just as fire is required to fight fire, or so the saying goes, so too is energy of a similar kind required to help battle itself..."  
  
He waited, as if expecting everyone to immediately jump to a conclusion. However, not a single being in the hut responded.  
  
"What I mean is, since spiritual energy is what has infected the dragonballs, spiritual energy is required to defeat it. That's why Goku was unable to help from here in our physical world. Now, usually, the balls would return here to me during regeneration, but this time they've gone somewhere where they can acquire the energy necessary to help them recover."  
  
A look of realisation dawned on everyone's face.  
  
"The afterlife..." Fionn gasped.  
  
"Now you've got it," Dende replied gleefully. "A world composed entirely of spiritual energy. Where else would they go...?  
  
"But... I don't understand it," Fionn queried. "How can they cross the barrier between worlds like that...?"  
  
"They aren't governed by the same rules we are. They go where they please, and at present they wish to be in the afterlife. In fact, their very survival depends upon it."  
  
"But where? The afterlife is as big as a hundred million galaxies put together. How are we supposed to find them in such an expanse?"  
  
"I am not the person you need to ask, for it has been many years since I last entered the afterlife, and much has changed in it's landscape since then. But..."  
  
He looked at Piccolo.  
  
"I saw a familiar look in your eyes just now, old friend. Your years as God of Earth have left their mark on you. You still understand the dragonballs and their ways. When you realised that the balls were in the afterlife, you also realised exactly where they would be, am I right?  
  
Everyone looked at Piccolo in surprise.  
  
"I did," he stated. "It is a place I have been before, and a place to which I do not wish to return. But, for the sake of Son, I will venture there once again..."  
  
"Excellent," Dende smiled. "Your courage has not abandoned you, I see. I only wish that I could aid you on your quest, but as you can see, my body grows weary. Even my ability to heal has left me."  
  
"Not to worry," Piccolo replied calmly. "Your wisdom has helped us greatly, and I swear that I will return here before your days run out."  
  
Dende nodded gratefully, and a glazed look came into his eyes.  
  
The young Namek that attended him stepped forward.  
  
"The Elder needs his rest. Please leave."  
  
All four of them did so, but not before Piccolo cast one last glance back at his sleeping friend. Then, without a word, he swept out of the hut, where Bardock, Fionn and Tenshinhan awaited him.  
  
"Where to?" Tenshinhan enquired.  
  
Piccolo drew in a long hard breath.  
"To the Check-In station, first of all. I have to something to tell Enma Daiou before we embark once more."  
  
Tenshinhan nodded, then Bardock, Fionn and Piccolo placed a hand on his right shoulder and back.  
  
In a silent flash of movement, the four warriors disappeared from Namek-Sei... 


	13. The Son Rises in the East

Chapter 12: The Son Rises in the East.  
  
"How much longer is this going to take?" Bardock muttered grumpily. "He's been in there for over an hour now..."  
  
"For the last time, calm down," Fionn said from his vantage point across the makeshift road. "He won't take any longer than necessary."  
  
Tenshinhan agreed with a silent nod of his own.  
  
All 3 warriors were presently sitting outside the massive iron door to the Check-In station, as they waited fitfully for Piccolo to finish his business with Enma Daiou. As Bardock had said, it had been quite a while since the two had started talking, and the line of souls waiting to be judged was steadily building up. Even the ogres were getting irritated...  
  
One of them shot a vengeful glance over at the trio, as if it was their fault that his job had suddenly become a lot more stressful. Bardock noticed this...  
  
"What the hell are you looking at?" he growled.  
  
The harsh look on the ogre's face suddenly changed into something which closely resembled fear, and he quickly jerked his eyes away from the Saiya-jin's unforgiving glare.  
  
Bardock returned his attention to his comrades.  
  
"Tenshinhan," he said. "You've know Piccolo better than any of us, and I'm sure you've realised that he's far from keen on bringing us to this place where he believes the dragonballs are. Is there anything you could think of that would scare him so much?"  
  
Tenshinhan raised his head and smiled.  
"Nothing scares Piccolo. Let's just say that he's slightly wary about revisiting wherever it is we're going, and I must admit that I'm quite anxious myself. Anything that bothers him..." he jerked his thumb towards the Check-In station "deserves to be approached with caution."  
  
Fionn and Bardock nodded in agreement.  
  
It was at that exact moment that the massive iron door swung aside, and Piccolo strode out with a small, dark bag in his hand.  
Just before the door closed itself again, Bardock caught a brief glimpse of Enma Daiou's face. He seemed extremely apprehensive as well.  
  
"Wonderful", Bardock thought to himself. "Just where the hell are we going?"  
  
All three of them rose to greet the Namek, who quickly tucked the small bag he carried into his belt. He reached up and affixed his turban, which had apparently become dislodged from its perch on top of his head. That done, he stated...  
  
"We're ready. Let's go."  
  
"Wait a minute," Bardock enquired. "What are those?" He pointed to the bag Piccolo had brought out with him.  
  
"These..." He looked down. "...are a gift from Enma Daiou. Just a few Pitharos seeds he's been keeping if ever an emergency arose up here. He thought that we might need them."  
  
Bardock grimaced, remembering the decidedly unpleasant side effects he had previously experienced after ingesting a Pitharos.  
  
"I think I'll avoid having to take them unless absolutely necessary."  
  
"That would probably be best," Tenshinhan said. "Saiya-jin physiology doesn't seem to be able to tolerate them. Just try and stay out of trouble, if that's too much to ask..."  
  
Bardock smirked, then placed his hand on Tenshinhan's shoulder.  
  
"What exactly should I look for?" Tenshinhan queried, two fingers raised to touch his forehead. "And just remember that we mightn't arrive exactly where we want."  
  
"That shouldn't be a problem," Piccolo said. "There are more than enough sentient beings in the area, so no matter who you lock on to, we'll arrive near enough to our target.  
  
He turned and pointed behind him.  
  
"We're heading that way, to the far East. Try and find a Namekian ki around 50,000 miles in that direction."  
  
For the next few moments, Tenshinhan was the picture of intense concentration, as he focused all his willpower on searching the land for the required ki.   
  
A look of intense surprise crossed his face.  
  
"Unbelievable," he whispered in awe. "I've found a Namekian ki, but..."  
  
Bardock and Fionn stared at him in curiosity, while it seemed that Piccolo already knew fine what Tenshinhan was going to say next.  
  
"Piccolo...there, there must be thousands of them."  
  
Piccolo nodded.  
  
"Hundreds of thousands, actually. That means you've got the right area, so go ahead and transport us there."  
  
"But...why?" Tenshinhan stuttered. "Why have they all gathered there in one place?  
  
"You'll see when we get there," Piccolo replied. "Now go."  
  
The landscape suddenly melted away from before the eyes of the four warriors, and when it finally returned to normal several seconds later, they found themselves standing near the head of a small outcrop of rock, thousands of miles away from their previous location.  
  
Bardock, Fionn and Piccolo removed their hands from Tenshinhan, and began to peruse their surroundings.  
  
The particular rocky outcropping that they had landed on was about 200 metres up, on the side of a particularly modest mountain. Far below them, a pristine meadow carpeted the floor of a valley, formed by two enormous peaks, but that was not what caught their attention...  
  
Namekian dwellings stretched along the valley floor as far as even Fionn's eyesight could determine, and Bardock realised that Piccolo was not exaggerating when he said that hundreds of thousands of his species occupied this area. If anything, he had underestimated their numbers...  
The areas around the dwellings were bustling with life, all Namekian, from what they could determine. The valley itself was massive, yet it was completely occupied by these comparatively tiny creatures.  
  
He turned to face Piccolo.  
  
"Something you forgot to mention about this place?"  
  
"Not really. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well, it's slightly unusual considering that you weren't exactly delighted at the prospect of coming here, and now that we find that it's populated by enough Nameks to fill your planet a hundred times over."  
  
"C'mon, you have to admit that this is far from normal," Fionn said. "Individual races hardly ever colonise areas like this, and certainly not on such a grand scale. Is there a reason why so many Nameks are attracted to this area?"  
  
"There is, but so far, no one has ever been able to figure out why. For as far back as records have been kept in the afterlife, members of the Namekian race have been drawn to this place, or so I've been told. Some think that the spiritual energy which maintains the afterlife is particularly abundant in this area, and that it acts almost as a homing beacon for races sensitive to such things."  
  
Bardock and Fionn stared blankly.  
  
"And," Piccolo continued. "Since Nameks are more sensitive to the affairs of spirit energy than others, it makes sense that an area like this would be an attraction for them."  
  
"So Nameks are sensitive to spirit energy?" Bardock said. "I never knew that..."  
  
Piccolo stared at him curiously.  
  
"Do you think it's just a coincidence that we're the only race able to create and control dragonballs?"  
  
"Hmmm," Bardock conceded. "Makes sense, I suppose."  
  
"Hold on," Fionn interjected. "If this area has been attracting Nameks for millions of years, how come you haven't felt the need to travel here in all the time you've been in the afterlife?"  
  
Piccolo frowned, making Fionn feel distinctly uncomfortable.  
  
"I have felt the urge. Many times, but I've always been able to resist it, largely because my duties in Hell have always taken precedence over everything else."  
  
He paused, and stared morosely down at the village below him.  
  
"But the main reason I've never felt an overwhelming urge is because I'm quite different from every other Namek down there. I've been killed, I've fused twice, and even the circumstances surrounding my birth were unusual. I feel it would be extremely naïve of me to think of myself as an ordinary Namek after everything that's happened to me over the years."  
  
"You say that like it's a bad thing..." Fionn said.  
  
Piccolo didn't answer. No one pressed the matter.  
  
"So tell me," Bardock asked, in a none-to subtle bid to change the subject. "What's this place called?"  
  
Piccolo raised his head slowly.  
  
"Sitar. Named by the warrior who established it over 4 millennia ago."  
  
"And this is where you think the dragonballs are?" Fionn asked, scratching his head uncomfortably. "I can't say I'm looking forward to searching all those huts..."  
  
"Not here," Piccolo replied. "There."  
  
He pointed straight ahead of them, right to the other side of the immense valley in which Sitar was located. There lay a brobdignian mountain so high it passed the clouds, and so wide it's corners could not be seen by any of the four warriors. Unnaturally dark shadows lay interwoven across it's undulating face, randomly cut with unfathomably deep chasms. This was Gháur, the main peak in the Thrandúil mountain range.  
  
"There?" Fionn muttered. "A few huts would be a welcome prospect compared to searching that thing."  
  
"Searching it will be the least of our problems. Fell creatures inhabit Gháur's dark recesses. Creatures far older than anything you've ever encountered in the afterlife before."  
  
Bardock stared at him.  
  
"You said that you'd been here once before. If it really is such a dangerous place, then why did you risk it?"  
  
"Because I didn't know it at the time, and it was not Gháur that I visited. This mountain range stretches for many leagues across the land, and throughout my travels I accidentally stumbled upon them in a place far from here. The creatures which inhabit them are not natural, and were it not for those Nameks down below, they would most likely be infesting the entire expanse of the afterlife by now."  
  
"The Nameks?" Fionn said. "They repel them?"  
  
"Not now, but many thousands of years ago, when the Nameks first attempted to colonise this area. They came into conflict with a race known as the Sé, natives of the Thrandúil mountains. The Sé are a malevolent race of demons, as old as the Kaio's, and much more powerful, with a blinding hatred for all other forms of life. For 3,000 years, the two races fought a tireless, bloody war against each other for control of this area, losing countless souls in the process. Eventually, the Nameks emerged victorious, and drove the Sé back into the depths of Thrandúil, forbidding them ever to set foot outside the range again."  
  
Bardock nodded in acknowledgment.  
"And the Nameks' continued presence in this area acts as a deterrent in case they ever decide to leave. I can see why they wouldn't be happy if we started browsing around their mountain."  
  
"It shouldn't be too difficult to avoid them," Piccolo continued. "As long as we stay in the light, we'll be fine. The Sé despise it, and they tend to stick to the shaded areas of the mountain. But we must always keep our wits about us, for the shadows on Gháur have a life of their own, roving around intermittently, and the Sé move like the wind. They could be upon us in a second if we accidentally stumbled into a darkened area."  
  
Bardock looked up at the sky.  
  
"Where exactly does the shadow come from? There aren't any clouds that I can see..."  
  
"No one knows," Piccolo replied. "Some say that the mountain itself creates them..."  
  
"Wonderful", Fionn muttered. "Well, shall we go?"  
  
"One last thing," Piccolo stated. "Bardock, tell me, have you had any visions lately?"  
  
Bardock stared at the Namek in curiosity. Now that he actually thought about it, he hadn't experienced a vision in quite a while, not since the fight with Conoracha.  
  
"No, why?"  
  
"When we arrive on Gháur, be prepared. The energy which flows around this area is also found in many regions in the Living World. On Namek, for example. That's why I believe the dragonballs have traveled to this area- to seek familiar energy to aid their recuperation. But there are other places as well, such as on one planet in particular which you should be more than familiar with..."  
  
Bardock felt sick. He already knew what planet Piccolo was talking about...  
  
"Kanassa-Sei..."  
  
He felt Fionn shift uncomfortably beside him.  
  
"Indeed. What I'm trying to say is that Gháur is rampant with the very energy which gave you your precognitive visions in the first place. Who knows what kind of effect it will have on you a second time? Tenshinhan and I will be fine, and Fionn lived on Kanassa-Sei his entire life, so none of us will have anything to worry about, but your brain chemistry has been significantly altered by your encounter with Tooro. Being exposed to that energy again could trigger more visions, or worse, it might have an adverse effect on your health."  
  
Bardock clenched his fists defiantly.  
  
"Don't even think about talking me out of going. My son is over there, and if you even attempt to stop me, then things are going to get nasty, believe me."  
  
"I wasn't going to," Piccolo replied sternly. "I'm just telling you to be ready, and don't let it get the better of you."  
  
"I won't," he stated adamantly. "Let's just get this over with."  
  
Tenshinhan, who had previously been overlooking the Namekian village, rejoined the group.  
  
"That's something I've been meaning to ask you," he said, addressing Piccolo. "Since we got here I've been browsing the landscape for any possible ki levels to use as a target for the Shunkan Idou, and so far I haven't been able to detect any on that mountain. If there are Sé there, then I can't sense them. Of course, it's possible that all these Namekian ki's are interfering."  
  
Piccolo shook his head.  
"The Sé can't be sensed. That's the main reason why we need to be wary when on Gháur, and besides, I don't want to go straight to the mountain anyway. Before we start our search, I want to ask someone from the village below if any Sé have even been sighted on the mountain lately. It's entirely possible that they have since moved on and we're worrying about nothing, but I want to check just in case."  
  
"Fair enough," Tenshinhan said. "I'll find a ki near side of the village nearest to Gháur. That way we won't have to travel very far to get there after you're done."  
  
Within a matter of seconds the transport was complete, and the four warriors emerged several miles away on the northern most side of Sitar. Unusually, their sudden appearance was of no surprise to the various Nameks ambling casually nearby. Either they had sensed them coming, or they were used to such intrusions. One or two acknowledged their presence with a nod, then immediately returned to whatever they had been doing beforehand.   
  
Piccolo actually had to walk over and tap one on the shoulder to get their attention.  
  
He approached a small, squat Namek tending to his garden and kneeled beside him, then muttered something in a language that neither Bardock nor Fionn could recognize.  
  
"It's Namekian," Tenshinhan said, realizing their confusion. "I suppose since they've been living among their own kind for thousands of years, they've forgotten to speak anything but their native tongue."  
  
"An waca pa rapunga Sé don cnoc ar tasgá?" Piccolo questioned.  
  
"Nei. Yoh feyr no Wagar trey," came the reply.  
  
"Ma. Gardas-to."  
  
Piccolo stood up and returned to the group.  
  
"That was quick," Fionn remarked.  
  
"Indeed," Piccolo said. "According to him, no Sé have been spotted on Gháur since he arrived in the village."  
  
"And how long ago was that?" Bardock asked.  
  
"Roughly 1,000 years."  
  
"Well then," Bardock replied. "Do you think it's safe to assume that..."  
  
He paused. He suddenly found it hard to catch his breath, and his head...it ached. The kind of ache that doesn't usually appear suddenly. The serious kind.  
His knees buckled, sending him toppling earthwards.  
  
He was unconscious before he hit the ground.  
  
It hurt more than ever this time. Like white hot fire rushing through his veins. Like spikes being driven in through his eyes. He couldn't concentrate on what he was being shown. But...he knew he had to. He didn't know what it was, but he knew, above all else, that it was important.  
  
He focused.  
  
The swirling, maddening blackness before him gradually faded, and he began to make out features of a somewhat well-known building. It was the Check-In station, no mistaking it. But, where was everyone? It was so dark. He couldn't see anything.  
  
Wait, focus again.  
  
He was inside now. The blackness had changed to another colour.  
  
Arterial red.  
  
There was so much blood. Strewn all over the interior. On the roof, on the walls. It was everywhere. Bodies littered the floor. The ogres were dead. One's head had been neatly severed from his body. Another had a hole blown straight through his body. The last one's back was twisted at an impossible angle.  
  
Where was Enma Daiou?  
  
At his desk, where he always was. But this time it was different. Lying face down in a pool of blood, bones poking out of his massive body at various intervals. He was motionless. His soul had already departed, gone somewhere where dead people go when they die again. Who had done this?  
  
A harsh, deafening laugh reverberated in Bardock's ears. It was so hard to concentrate on it, it was like white noise. Yet, there was no denying it...he had heard it somewhere before. It was so familiar, yet so new. Who was it?  
  
The laughing stopped. Silence ensued.  
  
Then a voice ripped through the air. So loud, yet so silent.  
  
It barely rose above a whisper, but the words were frozen into Bardock's soul..  
  
"You're next..."  
  
His eyes jerked open and he sat up, drenched in sweat. A group of concerned Nameks had gathered around when he had collapsed, and they quickly drew back in fear as the Saiya-jin leapt to his feet with a desperate look on his face.  
  
Fionn stepped in and grabbed him before he fell again.  
  
"You okay?" he asked quickly. "That seemed like a bad one."  
  
Bardock jerked free from Fionn's grasp and rushed towards Tenshinhan.  
  
"Bring me to the Check-in station, now!! Something's wrong!" he roared.  
  
"What the hell do you mean!?" Piccolo demanded. "What's wrong."  
  
"We don't have the time! Just bring me there now!"  
  
He recognized that voice. He knew he did. Why couldn't he remember it? It was infuriating! All he knew was that it was someone important.  
  
Someone he had met before... 


	14. Massacre

Chapter 13: Massacre  
  
He had seen things like this countless times before. Hell, he had done things like this countless times before, more times than he'd care to remember. All part of a day's work back in the Living World. He just shrugged it off and did it again and again and again, as many times as was necessary. It never bothered him, nor any of the other Saiya-jin assigned to clearing a planet of its native population.  
  
If it bothered you, then you were no use as a soldier. And if you were useless, you were expendable.  
  
But this time, it seemed.different, somehow. Perhaps the sudden shock of his vision had heightened the sensory experiences of the slaughter. Perhaps the spirit energy had affected his mind, just like Piccolo had predicted.  
  
Whatever it was, it had affected him badly. And he didn't like it.  
  
He didn't like it one bit.  
  
As Bardock, with Tenshinhan and Piccolo at his side, materialized outside the massive entrance to the Check-In station, these feelings only served to heighten his discomfort, and his desire to open that door was fading by the second. Nonetheless, he knew he had to, and so he stepped forward without a word and laid his hand on the almighty ornate handle. Despite it's incredible size, the door swung open with relative ease, allowing them access to the darkened interior.  
  
It was even darker than usual, just like in his vision, with streaks of red intermittently splashed along the roof and walls. Surprisingly, it didn't seem to affect him as badly as it had before. Probably, he told himself, because he knew what to expect.  
  
Piccolo and Tenshinhan had no such luxury. Fionn had been left behind at Sitar, more by accident than anything else. When Bardock had demanded to be returned to the Check-in station, Tenshinhan used his Shunkan Idou almost immediately, almost leaving Piccolo behind as well. He had thought that the spirit energy from the area had begun to affect Bardock just like Piccolo had predicted, and had tried to get him out of the village as fast as possible. Piccolo, however, was determined to discover what had transpired at the Station, and had quickly latched on to Tenshinhan, including himself in the transport as well. Fionn, being further away, couldn't make it in time.  
  
As their vision gradually adapted to the darkness, neither of them could mask their horror at the scene which lay before them, not that either of them really wanted to.  
  
Usually the Station was the very picture of efficiency and urgency, as Lord Enma struggled to skillfully and hastily assign a recently departed soul to a suitable area of the afterlife. As far as everyone knew, there were three possible outcomes. If a soul had led a good, noble life, it was assigned to heaven, where it would someday be given the chance to be reborn in a new body. If it had performed some kind of notable good deed during it's corporeal existence, such as saving a fellow being's life, then it would be granted the use of it's physical body during it's stay in the afterlife. If, however, the soul had led an evil existence, then it would be condemned to Hell for all eternity, never given the chance to be reborn again.  
  
Now, however, none of these fates were being assigned by Lord Enma. His power in the afterlife was limited; too limited, it seemed, to prevent his death at the hands of an unknown assailant. An assailant that Bardock knew, deep down in the depths of his soul, that he had met before.  
  
"I don't.believe it." Piccolo exclaimed as he stepped forward. "Enma Daiou is the Lord of this area of the afterlife. It's not possible that he could have been killed, no matter how strong his attacker was."  
  
"Whoever it was," Tenshinhan said, observing the twisted remains of both the Demon King and the many ogres which served him. "They must have had phenomenal power to overcome so many of the denizens of the afterlife. These creatures may look small, but in the Spirit World their strength is unrivalled. It must have taken incredible effort to defeat them."  
  
Bardock simply stared blankly at Lord Enma's bloody corpse. With a great deal of effort, he formed his own opinion.  
  
"It can't have been an ordinary soul. Lord Enma was strong enough to overcome Raditzu when he first arrived in the afterlife, and Raditzu's power was almost that of an elite Saiya-jin. For Enma to be overcome killed, it would have taken an extraordinary ki level. Only the tiniest percentage of beings would have acquired that sort of strength throughout the course of the their lives."  
  
"Perhaps," Piccolo said. "But you have to realize that when Son and I were alive, we encountered countless beings with enough power to defeat Enma Daiou. Lord Enma may have been strong when compared to the average soul that would come through here, but you need to accept that many species out there have become significantly more powerful than when you were alive."  
  
"Even so," Tenshinhan interjected, "A being would need to have had their physical body to kill Lord Enma, and that means that he would have allowed them to keep it in the first place. He can sense the evil present in a soul, even if it's been dormant their entire life, so I doubt that any of the beings in heaven are responsible for his death."  
  
Piccolo frowned.  
  
"But think about what you're saying," he said. "The only other souls in the afterlife that have retained their physical bodies are those assigned to Hell. I agree with you that no one in Heaven could have possibly killed Lord Enma, but it's equally unlikely that anyone has escaped from Hell. The Gateless Barrier is unbreakable. Even if someone assigned there possessed some form of teleportation ability, Lord Enma would have revoked it before he damned the soul to exist there."  
  
"Why don't you explain it then!?" Bardock exclaimed. "Look at that!"  
  
He pointed to Lord Enma's desiccated body.  
  
"Someone killed him!!", he continued. "And you know as well as I do what happens to a soul when it's killed again! Enma Daiou no longer exists! His life essence has been cleared from both Heaven and Earth! He's gone, forever!"  
  
"I know that," Piccolo dolefully replied. "He was my friend. Don't you think I know that?"  
  
Bardock's face was overcome with surprise. He had never expected Piccolo to show so much emotion on the subject.  
  
"He's dead now, and there's nothing I can do about that," Piccolo continued. "All I can do know is avenge him. And to do that, I need to know who killed him. All I know is that it can't be anyone in Heaven and it can't be any one in Hell. Do you have any idea how frustrating that is?  
  
Bardock stared at Piccolo with a look of understanding long since absent in his eyes.  
  
"I know exactly what you mean," Bardock said dolefully. "When Toma died in my arms, all I could think about was killing Furiza and avenging my race, but when the moment of judgment came, I was too weak. My failure led to my own death and to the destruction of the entire Saiya-jin race. From that moment onwards, I vowed that weakness would never again lead to my defeat, or the defeat of anyone else that I knew."  
  
He paused, and anger flooded his pitch black eyes.  
  
"Piccolo, I swear on the heads of the Super Saiya-jin's of legend, that you will avenge your friend, no matter what the cost."  
  
It was Piccolo's turn to stare in surprise. Ever since they had first met, he had always felt that Bardock had held a deep-rooted resentment towards him, possibly because of his superior strength. But, nonetheless, here he was, offering his help in avenging a close friend of his. Were Bardock a member of any other race, Piccolo would never have taken his offer seriously, but from personal experience, he knew just how fickle the Saiya- jin could be. One minute they hated you, one minute they were willing to die for you. Vegita had certainly taught him that.  
  
"Very well," Piccolo replied. "I accept your pledge. We will avenge this death no matter what the cost, and if the Super Saiya-jins of legend bestow their blessing upon us, then there is no way that we can fail."  
  
He turned to the lifeless Enma Daiou, raised his left hand in front of his face, and extended two fingers.  
  
"Rest in peace, Enma-sama."  
  
Piccolo placed his hand on Lord Enma's chest and muttered something incomprehensible in the Namekian language. A radiant yellow light encapsulated the Demon King's Body, and within a matter of seconds, it disappeared into nothingness. Piccolo then turned and faced the somber Bardock and Tenshinhan.  
  
"One thing I don't understand is why you had a vision of this scene in the first place." he muttered.  
  
A look of surprise crossed Bardock's face. The Namek was right. So far, every single vision that he had been struck with revolved around Kakarotto, or those who knew him. If he had had a vision about Lord Enma's death, then that meant it had something to do with Kakarotto as well. Either that, or someone who shared a close link with him.  
  
"You think he was killed by someone that Kakarotto knew?" Bardock asked.  
  
"Why else would you have had a vision?" Piccolo replied. "They have all been linked by one very important factor, and here that factor is absent. Either it was someone that Son knew, or someone that you knew."  
  
Bardock remembered the voice he heard when he had been stricken with the vision in Sitar. That harsh, cold voice. So familiar.  
  
"I think you're right," he muttered. "I felt some kind of connection with whoever did this, so I obviously met them throughout the course of my life. Their voice..just.struck a chord with me. I feel like I should know it, but I just can't."  
  
Bardock's train of thought was interrupted by an agonized moan which emanated from one of the corners of the Check-In station, causing all three warriors present to jump in surprise. None of them were prepared for the fact that someone had actually survived the massacre.  
  
"Shit!" Bardock spat, as he leapt towards the source of the cry, cursing the fact that he hadn't noticed the survivor any sooner. "Where are you!?"  
  
Some form of spluttering cough, possibly intended to have been a sentence, echoed out of a nearby corner, and Bardock turned to face it. Barely visible in the pitch-black shadows was one of Lord Enma's ogres, one who Bardock recognized as the ogre who had been on call when he and Fionn had visited the Station several weeks ago. The creature had obviously been mortally wounded.  
  
"Dammit!", Bardock exclaimed. From the looks of things, the ogre wouldn't last beyond the next few minutes, but Bardock intended to ascertain who was responsible for the attack before that happened.  
  
"Listen to me, quickly!" he shouted. "Tell me who did this!"  
  
The ogre tilted its head and stared weakly at the Saiya-jin. A faint look of recognition passed over its glazed eyes.  
  
"Oh, it's.you," he smiled. "You're.a strong.guy, aren't.you? Please.help.me.."  
  
Bardock gritted his teeth. There was nothing he could do for him now.  
  
"I'll try," he stated calmly. "Just tell me who killed Enma Daiou."  
  
The ogres' breath became ragged, and a small spot of blood trickled out of his mouth.  
  
"I.don't.want.to die. Please help me."  
  
"I'll try!" Bardock growled. "Now tell me who did this!"  
  
"He.was the one.who came through here.about 7 decades ago. He was.so strong. Those eyes.burning red. He killed Lord Enma."  
  
"His name. What was his name!?" Bardock questioned desperately.  
  
"Something unusual", the ogre spluttered. "He wanted.to know where.you had gone."  
  
"What did you say?" Piccolo said in amazement. "He knew us?"  
  
The ogres nodded its head weakly. "He killed.Lord Enma when he wouldn't say. Then.he said that he would kill us too, so I.I.told him that you had gone to Sitar."  
  
"What the hell!?" Bardock shouted. "How did you know where we went!?"  
  
The ogre pointed at Piccolo. "I.was here.when he got the senzu from Lord Enma. He said.where you were going, so I.told him. I'm sorry, but.I didn't want.to die."  
  
"Damn it!" Bardock swore. "If that thing knows where we went, then it'll head to Sitar as well! Fionn is there!!"  
  
"Shit!", Piccolo growled. "I shouldn't have been so careless. I shouldn't have let anyone know where we were going. Now the dragonballs could be in danger."  
  
"We need to get back there!" Bardock exclaimed. "If this thing was powerful enough to take down Enma and these ogres at the same time, then Fionn mightn't be able to handle it by himself. We have to get there and help him!"  
  
The ogre reached up and grabbed Bardock's leg. "I'm.sorry. I.was.afraid. Please.avenge.Lord Enma. And.good luck. I hope you.can.find.your son, as well."  
  
Bardock looked down in surprise. The ogre was dead.  
  
"Thanks," he muttered.  
  
He turned to face Piccolo, who already had his hand on Tenshinhan's shoulder.  
  
"Let's go," he stated.  
  
"Where should I aim for?" Tenshinhan enquired. "The outskirts, like last time?"  
  
"No. Find Fionn and bring us straight to him," Bardock replied. "He probably doesn't know where we are or what the hell's going on, so the sooner we get there and tell him the better."  
  
"That shouldn't be too difficult," Tenshinhan said. "One lone Kanassa-jin ki in an area populated most by Nameks will stand out quickly enough. Just give me a moment."  
  
Bardock quickly placed his hand on Tenshinhan's other shoulder, and waited patiently for him to complete his search.  
  
"Okay, I've got him," Tenshinhan exclaimed. "He's on the outskirts though, and it looks like he's heading back this way."  
  
"Shit," Bardock grimaced. "He must have realized where we went and decided to follow. Quickly, teleport us there before he gets too far away from the area."  
  
Tenshinhan nodded, and within seconds both Piccolo and Bardock felt the now familiar sensation of molecular disincorporation, as Shunkan Idou began to assert it's effect over their bodies. Within seconds the Namekian dwellings of Sitar appeared around them, as well as a particularly startled Kanassa- jin.  
  
Fionn had to stop dead in his tracks to avoid crashing headfirst into the trio.  
  
"You're back?" he said in surprise. "What the hell just happened?"  
  
"Another vision," Piccolo stated. "So we decided to follow it up. The Check- In Station was just attacked by someone that Bardock knew in the Living World. Lord Enma and all his ogres are dead."  
  
Fionn's jaw dropped as far as was physically possible.  
  
"But that's.not.possible," he stuttered. " I thought he was immortal."  
  
"No one is truly immortal here. Everyone has their match, and he obviously met his," Piccolo said, all hint of his previous emotion gone. "Our main problem now is that whoever is responsible for the massacre is on their way here. The inhabitants of this province are in danger, and so are the dragonballs."  
  
"What we need to do is find the balls as quickly as possible, then prepare ourselves for the battle ahead," Tenshinhan said. "If we get caught unprepared we could end up just like the ogres at the Check-In Station."  
  
"Do you really think this assailant is that strong?" Fionn asked skeptically. "With all four of us here, there's nary a force in the entire afterlife that could take us down."  
  
Bardock turned to him and spoke for the first time since they had arrived.  
  
"Don't let your guard down. I felt something.incredible back there. Something familiar. Something so terrible that my mind won't let me remember it. Whatever that is, it can't be taken lightly."  
  
Fionn nodded solemnly. And suddenly his legs buckled.  
  
A change came over the surrounding environment. The wind ceased to blow. The sun was swallowed by a sudden swath of clouds. It was as if the life has been sucked out of the world.  
  
Piccolo suddenly froze to the spot, his eyes widened in disbelief.  
  
Tenshinhan grasped his head in apparent pain.  
  
A brobdignian ki level had just appeared. They could all sense it, far off in the distance, traveling at phenomenal speed, gathering momentum with every passing second. It was absolutely repugnant, and the very feel of it shook the four warriors to their very souls.  
  
"I.remember. It's.him. He's the one."  
  
Bardock stood paralyzed. His body simply refused to respond. For how could he answer when the one he sensed was the one who had killed him? The one who had destroyed the Saiya-jin, and ended their proud history as a mighty warrior race. The one who had defeated him in an instant, overwhelming his most powerful assault with effortless cruelty. The one who haunted his nightmares, the one he would never forget.  
  
"Furiza." 


End file.
